The Legacy of Paneau: Renewal
by Sile Crowley
Summary: Sequel to LOP: Duality. During a brief stay on Coruscant to begin physical and mental healing, the Natiyrs and the Rys'tihns find themselves haunted by the scars recent battles left behind. Occurs 1 APC.
1. Chapter 1

A soft, peaceful woman's hum beckoned him out of his slumber, but he had to shift his attention briefly, unsure if he were still alive. The sound was so sweet, so pure, but the more he focused, he heard familiar quiet, rhythmic beeping underneath the humming. He was still being closely monitored; every heartbeat, every breath, even his brain activity was being recorded by a dozen machines behind him. He was free of the deadly, agonizing virus the Huxnel had infected him with, but he still faced a long and intense recovery. All of that dissipated, though, as Elena's serene, melodic hum again penetrated his thoughts and soothed his distressed mind.

As Koril Rys'tihn forced his heavy eyes open, he found himself lying on a comfortable, semi-reclined bed in a dim room aboard his family's luxury yacht, the _Celestia_. As he looked across the room out the small viewport, he could see stars streaking past in a blur against the vast darkness of space, indicating they had made the jump to hyperspace. They had left Agamar, the backwater Outer Rim world where he had been treated, but his sluggish mind struggled to process much else. The longer he looked about, though, the more he recognized the room as his personal bedroom, his home away from home...

While the gentle humming continued, he watched as his fiancée, Jedi Knight Elena-May Lyran, sat beside him with their newborn son Derek asleep in her arms. Looking up from the infant, she smiled wanly at him, but he could only meet her gaze with weak eyes, completely devoid of the strength to return it. He had no idea how long he had been sleeping or how long they had been traveling, and even though she looked anxious to answer the obvious questions in his tired expression, he began first.

"How is he?" Koril managed to ask, his voice coarse and dry. Her smile broadened as she looked down at Derek, gently stroking his warm red cheek with her finger.

"He's fine, Koril," she answered softly with a reassuring tone. Derek stirred briefly, making a small grunt before returning to sleep as Elena raised her gaze to meet Koril's again. "We just finished breakfast." Her smile faded, though, as she searched his eyes, worry defeating her expression. "How are _you_ feeling?"

Koril avoided answering her as long as possible, transfixed on his son's small face. Like everything else that had happened to him since he had woken up from his coma, it still hadn't sunken in that he was a father. He hadn't been there with Elena when Derek was born, and he didn't even have the energy to reach a hand out to touch his son, let alone hold him. He had no way to feel connected to the newborn, or to anyone else, for that matter...

"The same," he finally answered her weakly. Other than somehow finding the strength to force air out of his lungs hard enough to make his vocal chords work so he could be heard as he talked, he couldn't feel any difference in his condition. He still felt nearly as lifeless as he had when he had woken up back on Agamar, and he briefly wondered how much closer to death he could feel. He at least wasn't in pain any longer, so he was thankful for that, but he had no will to live, no desire to survive. What upset him more, though, was the thought that he didn't have the strength to care that he was giving up. The fight in him was long gone.

Elena seemed to pick up on his troubled thoughts, though, as she softened her expression and leaned closer to him, still carefully cradling Derek against her. She reached across Koril and lightly brushed her cool fingers down the side of his face, settling her hand at the base of his neck. Her expression momentarily looked hurt, but she corrected it quickly, focusing on his eyes.

"We left Agamar a few days ago. Rech's kept you sleeping to help you recover some strength on your own. He's more concerned about you than he lets on, so we're making a stop before we get to Paneau." Just as she quieted, the _Celestia_'s engines slowed dramatically as they left hyperspace, resuming a casual speed. As Koril returned his attention to the viewport behind Elena, he immediately noticed a flurry of space traffic flying about them. He could think of only one place they'd go where they would encounter that kind of volume...

"Coruscant," he breathed as he looked back at her. She nodded, giving him a small smile, but it faded as he continued feebly. "I just want to go home..."

"I know, I do, too, but Koril, they have the best doctors and the most advanced technologies in the galaxy here. They can help you."

Closing his eyes, he gently shook his head, though he figured someone had to be as close to him as Elena was to see it. She responded quickly, cupping her palm on his jaw to lightly turn his head toward her, softly running her thumb over his dry lips.

"It'll be okay," she soothed quietly. "Derek and I will be right there with you. You won't be alone anymore." She paused briefly, and even though he still had his eyes closed, he could hear the smile in her voice. "We might even see a few familiar faces once we land."

Looking up at her again, he met her sparkling emerald gaze, unsure what she meant. She was still smiling as she continued with reserved excitement. "When we sent word home that we would be stopping on Coruscant briefly, we got a couple of...eager responses that said they would meet us here." She leaned even further over him, subduing her expression and her voice, as well. "The Paneau are very anxious to get their High Commander back."

Sighing lightly, Koril closed his eyes once more, silently hoping there wouldn't be a large, noisy crowd awaiting him. The last thing he wanted was for everyone he knew to see him as he was, weak and desolate. It was hard enough allowing Elena to see him so defeated.

A long silence hung between them as he watched Elena more fully recognize his depression. He knew it hurt her; he could see the disappointment on her face, along with an intense desire to help him. He didn't know how she could, though, and a strange sense of dread took hold of him as he felt the _Celestia_ rock gently with a soft landing. Elena's eyes lit up again as she sat back from him, making sure Derek was still secure in her arms. She looked up at Koril and smiled wanly, gripping his hand tightly.

"A medical team will be coming aboard shortly, and they're going to work quickly. Rech and Mand are leaving for the Jedi Temple, but they should be in momentarily to say goodbye. I'm going to go speak with Consul Neludu about our arrangements here and hopefully she'll have some Royal Guards to spare to post in the medical center with you." Pausing briefly, she reached her hand up to lightly caress his bony cheek. "You'll be in good hands. These doctors will take good care of you. I'll be back as soon as possible, I promise."

Feeling worse the longer he held her gaze, he closed his eyes, turning his head away from her touch. She was the last person he had ever wanted to hurt, but he wanted to give in to the sleepy haze that was quickly descending upon him. It numbed his thoughts, and even though he could hear the soft cries of his infant son beside him, he couldn't fight it any longer. A calm darkness took him over, putting his mind at peace as it hadn't been for months.

* * *

_Shh,_ Elena soothed her son as she gently rocked him in her arms, leaving Koril sleeping in the bedroom behind her. _I know, I'm sorry, I got upset. Your father worries me so much..._

Though she knew Derek couldn't understand her at all, sharing her concerns with him eased her anxiety somewhat. He still seemed to respond, though, calming as she continued to direct quiet thoughts to him through the Force.

_He'll be okay, though. He just needs to get better, then he'll be himself. He'll recover._

Her reassurances to Derek were more for her own sake than his, she realized, but they still helped his tiny mind, as though he were merely pacified by her presence and her attention to him. She kept him wrapped up in a protective Force shield, a barrier between him and any kind of thought or feeling that might damage his small, frail mind. He was so sensitive to the changes in her mood, why would someone with dark thoughts nearby be any different?

While making her way through the _Celestia_'s hallways, she met Rech and Mand who were heading back to talk to Koril before they left. When the two saw the expression on Elena's face, they stopped immediately, alarmed, but she corrected it and shook her head calmly.

"I put him into a light sleep," she told her friends. "He's...distressed." She struggled to keep the shakiness out of her voice, but Rech and Mand both looked sympathetic. Mand reached a hand out to her, rubbing her arm supportively.

"Once the doctors start treating him, he'll get into a better state of mind."

Elena nodded, expressing her thanks for Mand's encouragement, but her own expression changed little. Seeing movement out the _Celestia_'s main viewport, Elena watched as a group of medics approached from the nearby medical center. They carried several cases and bags of equipment between them, and they towed along a repulsorbed, as well. At least they were prepared.

"They're here," she said as both Rech and Mand looked back to follow her line of vision. Mand exchanged a concerned glance with Rech before she returned to Elena, her expression grim.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with him? We didn't exactly make friends the last time we were here..."

Elena shook her head, doing her best to shut out the memories of their fateful stay on the city-planet eight months ago. Her duel with Dark Jedi, the death of Master Noor, the confrontation at Tarthos Industries... If Koril hadn't been in such dire need of serious medical attention, she would've been content to drop off Rech and Mand and leave Coruscant far behind. As with her friends, there were too many painful memories associated with the overcrowded, unwelcoming city. Even the presence of the Jedi Order there at the old Temple did little to assuage her anxiety, and she was sure that her friends felt the same.

Still, Elena forced a small, tired smile, attempting to allay Mand's concern. "He'll be okay. I won't be long at the Consulate."

Though Mand looked as though she were going to protest, she remained quiet, and once more, Elena feigned composure. "You two should get going. You don't want to keep Master Rylka waiting, believe me."

Again glancing at each other, Rech and Mand eventually nodded, stepping closer in turns to hug Elena gently. She still had Derek in her arms, and even though the movement woke him, he remained quiet, looking all about. Mand smiled warmly at him, lightly tracing a finger down the side of his face. He followed her hand with his bright green eyes, even reaching his tiny fingers out to hers. Mand held his hand carefully, still smiling at him as she spoke softly.

"You take good care of your mom, okay?"

Derek seemed to grunt quietly in agreement, and Elena had to finally give into a genuine smile. Mand hugged her again, releasing the boy's hand after a moment. Both she and Rech looked reluctant to leave Elena, but as Kaydee, the Rys'tihn Family chrome-plated protocol droid, approached from the _Celestia_'s lowered ramp, they stepped back, tightly holding each other's hand.

"Mistress Elena," Kaydee addressed her cordially, "Dr. Vreaa Onalo and her colleagues are here to tend to Master Koril. They request your permission to board and to begin their preliminary assessments."

Elena nodded quickly. "Let them in, Kaydee."

Kaydee had little more than turned around when a flurry of people climbed aboard. Most of them were dressed in pristine white uniforms and carried medical equipment at their sides, but surprising her, a handful of Paneau Royal Guards also accompanied the medics onto the ship. Armed and clad in their dark uniforms worn only on foreign planets, they all bowed respectfully to her, though their gazes immediately locked on Derek in her arms.

Knowing that they needed to leave, Elena smiled wanly while Rech and Mand each gave her a soft pat on the shoulder as they passed and left the _Celestia_ quietly. Elena was about to address the small crowd assembled before her when Dr. Onalo finally stepped to the front with a relaxed but confident expression on her face. She was a slight Cerean with graying brown hair gracefully covering her tall, tapering head. Her movements were slow but fluid, and she spoke with purpose as she stood before Elena.

"It is an honor to speak with you in person, Miss Lyran," Dr. Onalo began with her elegant Coruscanti accent. "My staff and I are so very eager to serve you Jedi. Please, direct us to where we are needed so we may begin our work."

Elena nodded and led the team of medics through the _Celestia_'s cabin to Koril's room, stepping back to let them inside. She could only briefly watch them as they began their assessment of Koril, as they completely surrounded him and worked quickly, setting up monitors of their own beside him. She heard a Royal Guard step up behind her, and after a moment, she turned to meet a familiar face.

"M'lady, I'm Captain--"

"Aurin Jax," she finished for him with a smile. "I remember. You greeted me when I returned to Paneau a few months ago."

Captain Jax's expression faltered just briefly, and hers did, too, as she realized what he remembered of their exchange. She had been in the middle of a transmission with him, returning to Paneau after a two month absence, when she was shot down over the planet by a pair of Huxnel fighters. She knew it was something he wouldn't soon forget.

"Yes, M'lady," he answered after a brief hesitation. "I'm here to escort you to the Consulate. The rest of these guards will accompany and protect the High Commander in the medical center, while a few will remain behind to guard the ship. Is there anything you need to take with you that I may help you with?"

Elena had to smile in spite of herself. It had taken her months to almost get used to being treated as a soon-to-be member of one of Paneau's Royal Families, and being away from it for so long while searching for Koril left her no longer immune to it. Though Koril was young for his position as the High Commander, the Head of Paneau's Security Forces, it seemed as though anyone she encountered from the Royal Guard or the Royal Navy had the utmost respect for him, and they always passed on that respect to her. She figured it would be another few months before she'd get used to it again.

Nodding, she indicated a bag and a small infant carrier on the floor beside the cockpit. "That's all I need for now." Capt. Jax immediately stooped down to pick them up, tugging the bag's strap over his shoulder and gripping the carrier in his other hand. Though she briefly debated it in her mind, she decided on keeping her son in her arms to protect him, and as she nodded and looked back up at Capt. Jax, she noticed him intently watching the newborn.

"Derek Aalon Rys'tihn," she told him quietly with a smile. Jax nodded, smiling, too, as he looked him over.

"Nice to meet you, little one. I hope you're not holocam shy, because you're about to become more famous than King Verojec himself."

Confused, Elena furrowed her brows as Jax looked up. "What do you mean?"

Capt. Jax looked taken aback. "I beg your pardon, M'lady, but...he's one of the most highly anticipated births in...well, in a very long time. I don't know that the Royal Families have ever been down to just one surviving member before. It's an unprecedented situation, and I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes the face of this new generation. He has already brought the Paneau a renewed sense of hope, and they're eagerly awaiting his introduction." He paused briefly, examining the anxious expression on her face. "But don't worry, M'lady. Your Royal Guards are very proficient at, ah...keeping the media at bay."

As Elena looked back up at the captain and saw his kind grin, she relaxed a little, realizing he was right. Even through everything that Koril had endured in the past year, his injuries, his recoveries, his rise to the teenaged King Verojec's most trusted advisor, she had barely even noticed media intrusion. She had seen a few holocam droids hovering around the boundaries of the Rys'tihn Manor grounds occasionally, but they had never dared to venture further. Though curious how they managed to keep the droids away, she withheld her questions for later.

Glancing back behind her at the medics still working furiously around Koril, she sighed and watched them briefly before returning to Capt. Jax, looking over to Kaydee in the cabin. The talkative protocol droid had drummed up a friendly conversation with one of the Royal Guards who had taken up post beside her, doing her best to ignore the playful whistling banter from the purple-paneled astromech Eewon behind her. After Elena got her attention by waving at her, Kaydee politely excused herself, and knowing his place, Eewon stayed with the guard, dutifully tending to the ship in their absence.

"We should get going," she said with a tinge of sadness in her voice. Jax nodded and waited for the droid to join them before leading them down the _Celestia_'s ramp to a small Paneau shuttle that awaited them, prepared to take them to Paneau's Consulate nearby.


	2. Chapter 2

Though their walk to the Jedi Temple wasn't long, Rech kept an abnormally tight grip on Mand's upper arm. He was determined to stay as close to her as possible so he wouldn't lose her to the crowd as he once had.

It had been almost six years since that day she had been kidnapped, taken in broad daylight from a busy Coruscant marketplace they had traveled to together while on a break from their studies. He still felt so guilty for not being able to protect her, but barely sixteen at the time, he wouldn't have been able to do much against the Dark Jedi sent to capture her anyway. This time, though, he felt prepared to take on anything or anyone, despite not sensing so much as a faint whisper of the dark power they had encountered on the city-planet three times before.

"Rech," Mand protested gently beside him, "you need to relax. Your review needs to go well."

"Don't worry about that," he answered quickly, matching her volume. Warily watching the hundreds of beings about them, though, he didn't release his grip. "I can easily show Master Rylka everything I'm capable of."

Even though they were walking along at a pace matching the flow of the crowd, Mand stopped abruptly, catching Rech off guard. He turned to her, alarmed, afraid that something had happened to her. Meeting her defiant gaze, though, he breathed a light sigh of relief as he continued to watch the mass of people passing around them. Mand didn't move.

"Rech," she said pointedly, getting his attention again, "you _can't_ go in there like this. I can sense your fear, and there's no way you can hide it from the committee."

Still wary of the crowd, though, Rech, kept one hand on his saber hilt and the other on Mand's arm. He softened his expression somewhat, but he couldn't lower his guard, at least not yet.

"We'll talk about it when we get to the Temple, not here."

Resuming their pace with the others around them, Mand didn't protest further. She gently pulled his hand off her arm and tightly folded it in hers, looking up at him with worried eyes. She had faced the scrutiny of the committee before, defending her actions she had taken against her evil father the last time they were on Coruscant, so she knew what was awaiting him in the Temple.

Except for his concern for her, though, he felt surprisingly calm. He could feel no residual shadow from his brief but rapid descent into the Dark Side, because he had worked so tirelessly to redeem himself. Under the guidance of Master Noor's Force Ghost, he had meditated for hours on end, removing hatred and anger from his thoughts as best he could. He had to release his feelings toward the Tarthos family, Mand's father and siblings who had been involved in her kidnapping and were responsible for the experimentation done on her for the four years she was missing. He had to let go of his hatred of her father, Morden, who had orchestrated it all a second time and forced him down such a dark path.

With all of them dead or in prison, though, he could leave those feelings behind and move on, but in its place moved an earnest concern for Mand's safety. Though the Tarthos were gone, he knew there had to be other enemies lurking in the shadows, enemies that could be looking for revenge and waiting for an opportunity to strike. As Mand had said earlier to Elena, they hadn't made friends during their last stay on the city-planet, and he was justified in his apprehension. The committee had to understand that.

Finally reaching the warm steps of the restored Jedi Temple where they could talk a little more privately, Rech pulled Mand aside, embracing her tightly for a long moment. After releasing her, he stooped to sit on one of the broad stone steps, facing the Coruscant skyline that was unobstructed around the Temple grounds. Mand sat beside him silently, watching his expression closely.

"Mand," he began softly, "you know you mean everything to me. I would do anything for you, and I know that will make me look all that more dangerous to them."

Mand's eyes softened. "Rech..."

"But I don't care," he shot back strongly, meeting her gaze. "They can argue and debate all they want about the hazards of attachment, but it doesn't apply to me. The only fear I harbor is the fear of not being strong enough to protect you, but I don't let it control me. Instead, it focuses me; it drives me to be at my best, to force my skills to their limits and beyond. I only want to better myself, because I know what it'll take to keep me from losing you again. My fear doesn't consume me," he concluded intensely, "it improves me."

Mand's expression was conflicted, as though she wanted to believe him but knew he was up against critical Jedi Masters who wouldn't immediately consider his heartfelt, earnest words. Still, she squeezed his hand, holding his gaze with hesitantly optimistic eyes.

"I hope they see it that way, too."

Rech gave her a tired smile, comforted by her support. It quickly fell, though, as a tall, robed Jedi approached them, his hands folded under his sleeves. Rech stood with Mand, still holding her hand as they faced their envoy.

"Mr. Natiyr," he addressed Rech with a grim tone, "please come with me. Mrs. Natiyr, you are to report to the Temple Training Center at once."

Turning back to Mand, Rech smiled again, trying to raise her spirits. She only briefly met his gaze, though, hugging him tightly with an anxious expression on her face. Intent on easing her concerns, he pulled back from her slightly, gently brushing a few stray strands of her hair from her face as he focused on her eyes.

"It'll be okay," he assured her, still smiling. After a few silent moments, he inclined his head and kissed her softly, enfolding a comforting wisp of the Force around her mind. He wanted to keep it there, maintaining his presence with her, but he knew the committee would draw on every last mental reserve he could muster. Reluctantly withdrawing his consciousness from her, he stepped back, again giving her a confident smile as he turned and followed the Jedi in front of him into the heart of the Jedi Temple.

* * *

"...and so he rounded up us pilots and designated a few teams to take back some buildings near the Palace. I was just a young ensign at the time, and he wasn't ranked much higher than I, but he led our group and we were able to recapture a key communications tower that brought in more guards from the surrounding provinces. It was his outstanding leadership that kept the Royal Navy organized enough to fight back, m'lady, so the Royal Forces will always be at the service of the Rys'tihn Family. We owe the High Commander that much."

Seated comfortably in the small shuttle's cabin with Derek nestled snugly in her arms, Elena listened intently to Captain Aurin Jax's stories of his experiences serving under Koril. Though she at first had considered him a nuisance, she was quickly becoming fond of the captain; he gave her insight into a side of Koril she wasn't familiar with. She knew of his honors and awards following the Huxnel Invasion, but hearing the events from someone who had been at his side through those battles gave her new perspective on her future husband's character. Jax was more than happy to share, and she smiled appreciatively.

"He never told me about that. He doesn't like to talk much about what he'd done for the awards he's received."

Jax nodded as though he expected as much, but his brows furrowed into a grim expression as he sighed lightly. "He actually may not remember it."

Elena's own expression fell, anxiously awaiting Jax's explanation. With a quick glance up to the cockpit in front of them to gauge their progress through Coruscant's busy skylanes, he continued.

"After we secured that communications tower and signaled for backup, the High Commander received a message about a group of hostages being held in a nearby building. He led those of us left over to it to rescue them, but we were ambushed. He of course made sure that we had taken cover first, but it left him vulnerable, and he was severely injured by a concussion grenade that had detonated close to him." Pausing briefly, Jax blinked as his face contorted into a strange, pained grin as he went on. "Even with his massive internal bleeding, he was still giving us orders, telling us how the five of us left were going to outmaneuver the dozen troopers that had surrounded us. And the only thing that was crazier than his orders...was the fact that we all followed them. And it worked."

Looking down at Derek asleep in her arms once more, Elena had to smile, too. That was the Koril she knew. He had never put his own needs ahead of others', and he had constantly neglected his own injuries if something needed to be done or if someone else needed help. She hadn't been with him long when he had been wounded in the Dalon Palace collapse a year ago, and even though he was in dire need of medical attention after a serious concussion, he refused to rest. Instead, he pushed himself and his injury too far while trying to get back to the king, focused only on his duties as the monarch's protector. He could've permanently lost his vision, and maybe even his life, if he hadn't been healed by Master Noor numerous times. Apparently he hadn't learned his lesson from his experiences with the Huxnel Invasion.

"Unfortunately, that was the first and last time I worked under him directly," Jax continued. "I can't tell you what an honor it is to serve him again by serving you, m'lady, and your son."

Elena nodded, looking back up at him. "I appreciate it, Captain, but...I'm not yet married to Koril. I still feel strange about all this, accepting so much on his behalf. I'm not his wife. You don't have to address me so...formally."

Jax shrugged casually. "Maybe you're not married yet, but you are the mother of his son. That's close enough for us. But shall I address you as something else, then? Ma'am, perhaps?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "If you have to, I'd prefer m'lady to _ma'am_. Maybe just...not so often?"

Jax smiled. "Very well. I don't know how well you'll get others to comply, but we Royal Pilots will do our best."

Again, Elena nodded after a moment, though she knew even more formalities awaited her at the Consulate. Intent on deflecting her thoughts and the focus on her, though, she grinned, putting the Captain on edge.

"Speaking of, just how many of you Jaxes are there, Captain? I've encountered no less than five so far, almost all in the Royal Navy. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're all related somehow."

Laughing, Jax nodded. "I was wondering when this would come up. Yes, m'lady, we're all related, and there are quite a few of us. Even though we're not Royals, the Jaxes have long been associated with the Royal Forces, and we pass on our name as the Royals do." Seeing an uncertain look on her face, he continued. "Like the Royals, the name Jax is passed down through the generations, regardless of which parent is the Jax. In marriage on Paneau, most women will take their husband's name, but, for example, in my mother's case, she was the Jax. After marrying my father, she stayed Sanin Jax, and my brothers and I were born as Jaxes. The same thing happens with the Royals."

Elena furrowed her brows. "But Vianne Banarecc's boys took their father's name, Redgrave." Jax nodded.

"Unofficially. Should King Verojec and his sister Annari die somehow, then the Crown would move to the next family in line, and Aiyden and Ethan would resume their given Banarecc names."

There were so many rules concerning the Crown, and even after having lived on Paneau for a few months in the past year, she still didn't know most of them, she figured. It all seemed so confusing, but with six Royal Families sharing the Crown for thousands of years, nothing could be easy.

"So, getting back to the Jaxes," Elena grinned again, "how are you related to Koril's best friend Brent?"

Jax smiled. "Very distant relation, m'lady. I'm actually more closely related to the High Commander himself. His mother Lori was a Jax, but, of course, the Royal Families outrank us."

Elena blinked, completely unaware of the connections Koril still had. His mother and his brother Ceraéo had died before she had met him, and after his father Merli'il's death in the Palace collapse, Koril became the last Rys'tihn, the last of the Rys'tihn Royal Family, and the weight of it had taken its toll on him. The other Royal Families had come to his aid during his recent ordeals, but he still had to shoulder such a heavy, lonely burden...

"He...he has family?"

"Of course, m'lady. The High Commander will always family. We may not be Royalty, but we, too, have strong ties to each other."

As the shuttle rocked gently with an easy landing, Elena looked down at Derek and was surprised to see him awake but quiet. She knew he'd be hungry soon, but hopefully he would at least hold out until after the meeting was over.

With a hand at her elbow, Captain Jax stood with Elena and again tugged the bag strap over his shoulder as he watched her. She smiled and nodded her thanks, walking with him out of the shuttle. Hugging him to herself protectively, she kissed Derek lightly on the forehead as they stepped out into the midday brightness. She shielded his tiny eyes as much as possible, following Jax as he led her into the Paneau Consulate.

A handful of guards and aides met them inside immediately, and each aide introduced themselves quickly, spouting off positions and titles excitedly. They were young Paneau, hardly any older than she, and despite their stately, formal gowns they wore bearing the Paneau Royal Crest, they could barely curb their enthusiasm as they walked alongside her, watching Derek in her arms.

"Oh, he's _handsome_, m'lady!"

"He has his father's face --"

"And your gorgeous eyes!"

"Derek Aalon, what a strong name."

"Such a sweet boy..."

Elena smiled at the aides, unsure how else to respond to their praise other than with a simple thank you. Captain Jax did his best to at least keep them away enough to allow Elena to walk without tripping over them.

Finally, the aides left as Elena and Capt. Jax stepped into the Consul's main chambers. A group of eight or nine men, wearing Royal Navy uniforms, were huddled together in front of her, laughing and joking amongst themselves. All talk suddenly ceased, though, as they turned to her, recognizing her. She recognized a few of them, too, but before any exchange, the men bowed respectfully and stepped aside, revealing the petite Consul behind them.

"Miss Lyran," the gray-haired woman greeted her kindly as she stood from her desk and walked over. "So good to see you again."

Elena nodded and smiled. "And you, as well, Consul Neludu. Thankfully this time we're meeting on somewhat happier terms."

The first time Elena had met Paneau's Consul, Odovil Neludu, she was attending a memorial service for the Paneau who had been killed by bounty hunters in a string of politically motivated murders on Coruscant. Koril was supposed to have been among those killed, but unknown to her until later, he had escaped the hunters with little more than a diagonal scar across his forehead. The Consul remembered, Elena surmised, as her expression fell momentarily.

"Yes, of course, my dear. Please, sit," she asked, indicating a plush chair behind her. Elena nodded and sat, carefully cradling Derek as she moved. Capt. Jax stood behind her, setting the bag beside her chair while Consul Neludu directed two young women toward Elena.

"Miss Lyran, you remember Kollie and Raen, servants in the Rys'tihn Manor. They're also well-trained caretakers, and they're here to take over Derek's care for you to ease your burden while you are here."

Elena did her best to not look alarmed. "Thank you, Consul, but I won't be needing --"

"M'lady," Capt. Jax interrupted softly, putting a hand lightly on her shoulder as he leaned over her. "I will stay with them exclusively. They will be well protected, and they don't have to leave your sight."

Still unsure, Elena looked down at Derek as the woman she remembered as Raen knelt beside her with a soft expression.

"Please, m'lady, he _will_ be safe."

After glancing at Captain Jax once more and getting an encouraging smile from him, Elena looked back down at Derek, releasing a shaky breath. She brought a hand up to his small face, stroking his soft black hair on his head before she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. Though still reluctant, she eased him into Raen's arms, checking his blanket to make sure he was still tightly tucked in it. Raen smiled as she carefully stood from Elena, stepping back to stand with Kollie, who also tended to the infant. Elena watched the two anxiously for a few moments, but as Consul Neludu reclaimed her attention, she noticed the pilots moving up beside the elder woman, as well, seemingly awaiting an introduction.

"We've all been eagerly awaiting a report on the High Commander's condition," the Consul began with keen interest. "We were hoping that you could fill us in."

As every gaze in the room fell on her, Elena again sighed and tried to calm her shakiness. She folded her hands carefully in her lap as she swallowed dryly, meeting the eyes of the concerned pilots while searching for the right words to begin the explanation. She wasn't sure what the Paneau knew of Koril's plight, so she began with his capture by the Huxnel, watching the pilots' reactions as she narrated the past four months, the longest of her life.


	3. Chapter 3

Again waking up to soft, rhythmic beeping, Koril knew the monitors had to be lying. Even though they sounded similar in pace to the ones that had been on him aboard the _Celestia_, he felt terrible, more exhausted, and even worse than he had been earlier. He felt like he had to fight for every breath, consuming what little energy he had to make one weak, labored gasp. He could tell that his lungs were trying to draw in more air more often, but his tired body refused and wouldn't keep up.

He struggled to open his eyes, but finally able to, he shifted his gaze to either side and was saddened to find himself alone in an unfamiliar place. He had to be in the medical center on Coruscant as Elena had said, but nothing about his room looked overtly Coruscanti. The room was fairly large and open, and the equipment he could see beside him looked highly advanced, but it was all so impersonal and not comforting in the slightest. He wanted to be back aboard the _Celestia_; there he could at least be calm as he slowly suffocated...

A gentle _hiss_ beside him caught his attention as the lone door to his room swept open. Looking over, he saw a young woman dressed in solid white pass between two Paneau Royal Guards stationed just outside. They turned slightly to look in on him, but he closed his eyes, avoiding their stares until the door shut behind the medic.

"Hello, Mr. Rys'tihn," the medic greeted him kindly with a sweet Coruscanti accent. Koril looked up at her after a moment, but he had to blink his eyes a few times when he realized he was no longer seeing color. Everything was a muted shade of gray, and he could hardly make out the borders of the medic's face. Frustrated and drained even more, he closed his eyes again, letting his head fall to the side away from her.

"My name is Amti," she continued quietly. "I'm one of your nurses. I'm here to give you a little something that will help your breathing."

As Koril felt her warm hand on his arm, turning it palm up, he looked up at her again, somehow mustering the strength to talk.

"No."

Surprised, Amti looked up, holding the hypodermic injector mere inches from his arm. Correcting her expression quickly, she gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Mr. Rys'tihn, it won't hurt. I'm just going to put it into your IV here, so I won't have to stick you again."

After another weak gasp, Koril persisted. "No medication..."

Amti's brows furrowed deeply in concern, and her voice softened the slightest bit as she continued, as well. "It's okay, it's going to help you. It'll make it easier for you to breathe, so you don't have to work so hard." She again inclined her head, bringing the injector closer to the IV tubing, but Koril feebly rolled his arm away from her, continuing to protest as strongly as he could.

"I said no."

Amti held his gaze for a long moment before she sighed resignedly and pocketed the injector, looking over him worriedly. She bit her lower lip, but eventually she nodded, holding his hand briefly before resting his arm across his stomach. Wordlessly, she checked the monitors behind him then left reluctantly, leaving him alone again.

Though he knew he was still looking at the door, his vision continued to deteriorate, eventually going completely dark. He felt lightheaded, as though he weren't getting enough oxygen, but his lungs still refused to work harder. Feeling his last reserves of strength leaving him, he curled his fingers around the light blanket draped over him, and was surprised to feel the chilled IV tubing brush against his hand. He released the blanket, instead gripping the IV, pulling on it until it gave. Doing the same for the other three IVs he felt in his arm, he could tell his delayed gasping wasn't going to be enough to keep him alive for much longer. His thoughts slowed substantially, to the point where the only thing he saw in his mind as he fell unconscious again was the image of his infant son, looking up at him with his brilliant emerald eyes, just like his mother's.

_I'm sorry I've let you down..._

* * *

Being back on Coruscant worried Mand more than it excited her. The last few times she had been on the city-planet, something had gone wrong, and she feared that this time would be no different. She no longer sensed the dark, smothering presence of her father, Morden Tarthos, nor did she feel any other dark presences. Her father had apprentices, but all of them had been taken care of...hadn't they?

Making the trek to the Jedi Temple Training Center from the main Temple grounds only took her a few minutes. As she stepped inside it, the large, cavernous room echoed her footsteps. It had ample space for dozens of young Jedi hopefuls to train with their instructor, and she, too, had trained there briefly almost a year ago. The center vaguely reminded her of her days on Yavin IV, when she had begun training with her friend Elena after surviving the Huxnel Invasion on Paneau. Though Mand had to basically start over to relearn her skills utilizing the Light Side of the Force, she and Elena still had a few classes together. As she allowed the fond memories to momentarily take her over, she didn't notice until it was too late that she was no longer alone in the center.

Turning around, she faced a monstrous, furry beast with narrow black eyes, gray and brown coarse fur, and two large pointed teeth that extended upward from the corners of its jaw. Its body was wide and barrel-like, but it stood on four narrow, bony but powerful legs, and it swung a muscular tail with a spiked knob at the end from its back side. Snorting from its small black nose situated just above its jagged, vicious-looking mouth, it watched her with a calculating stare, waiting for her to make the first move.

Having never seen such a brutish creature, Mand glanced about the open floor, attempting to determine the best means of escape. She was completely unarmed, no blaster, no lightsaber, and her only chance at survival was outsmarting the beast. She held her breath as she took one sidestep, her senses on edge and her muscles tense, prepared to make another move if the beast charged. But the creature matched her movement, quickly stepping just as she had. She was surprised by its swiftness, the ease with which it moved such bulk. It was going to be difficult to outrun, she surmised, and it had to be immensely powerful, judging by its solid core. Was this some kind of new Force skills test? Surely the Jedi hadn't resorted to such brutish evaluations...

Seemingly impatient waiting for its prey to move again, the beast leaped forward, and hardly able to react fast enough, Mand dove aside, rolling away as it skidded to a stop with its padded, clawed paws on the rough stone floor. She had just enough time to scramble to her feet as it charged again, and she instead used the Force to propel herself up and over its back. The beast was too quick for even her Force-enhanced jump, though, as it swung its powerful tail up at her, catching her in the stomach with its spiked end. As hard as she had jumped, she was thrown back to the ground, landing hard on the uneven floor. She immediately felt that at least one of the spikes had punctured her skin, but she had to ignore it for the moment, determined to best the creature.

Again drawing on the Force, she unleashed a powerful Push on the beast, allowing herself to slide along the floor on her side away from it as it absorbed the blow, barely affected. Enraged by her use of the Force on it, it roared ferociously and charged again, lowering its head and turning its extended teeth into dangerous ramming spears. Still on the ground, though, Mand had to work quickly, wrapping an invisible grip around the beast as it approached. Just inches before it could reach her, she used its momentum to launch it over her head, landing it against a wall behind her. It was briefly stunned, and using the opportunity she had afforded herself, she quickly stood and sprinted for the nearest door.

The creature recovered rapidly, however, and as it caught up to her, it spun itself around, again landing its spiked tail in her stomach, sending her flying and landing hard against another wall. Dazed and bleeding even more as she fell to the floor, she lifted her head the slightest bit as she watched it lower its head again, prepared to charge once more, but it stopped suddenly. As if having heard something that startled it, it dashed off in another direction, disappearing down a dark, empty hallway. As quickly as it had appeared, it vanished, leaving her wounded and in a shocked stupor. Why was such a terrible beast loose in the Jedi Temple? Why hadn't it charged one last time? Was it going to harm anyone else?

Determined to overcome her injuries, she propped herself up off the floor, painfully twisting her torso to sit with her back against the wall. With a hand on her stomach, she willed her breathing to calm, and finally silencing her panting, she heard two sets of footsteps approaching quickly. With the adrenalin still flowing from the attack, she was able to stand without too much protest from her wounds, and supporting herself with one had on the wall, she looked up to see Chiss Jedi Master Strone Lithess and his young apprentice Wes Arosc sprinting into the room. They both immediately turned to her, quickly stepping up to her after briefly scanning the room for danger.

"It's gone," she reported blankly. "Left out that door." She weakly pointed with her hand that had been on her stomach, but seeing the amount of blood dripping off her fingers, she quickly brought it back, though to no avail; Master Lithess had already seen it.

"We're taking you upstairs," he stated dryly in his usual emotionless tone, looking her over with his glowing crimson gaze. Mand could feel his powerful arms wrapping around her shoulders, but within seconds, everything went black as she felt her entire body go limp in the Jedi Master's grip.

* * *

_Feel the Force flowing through you..._

_It is your ally, your weapon against anything, and used wisely, it will empower you to overcome even the darkest night..._

_A Jedi is never truly alone, instead surrounded by those noble servants of the galaxy who had gone before him. If one remains open to those voices of the past, the lessons passed on are priceless gems to be cherished..._

As Rech prepared for his trial, he heard the voices of his past instructors, their teachings reverberating though his mind. It was hardest for him to hear Master Noor's voice, though, having valued his advice and guidance more than anyone he had encountered in his Jedi Academy career. The wise Jedi Master was only thirty-seven standard years old when he sacrificially protected Elena and her son she didn't even know she was carrying. He gave his life to save someone so young, when he was young himself. But instead of dwelling on the loss, Rech again focused himself on the trial. He knew Master Noor was going to be looking out for him.

After explaining well the circumstances surrounding his brief fall and how much he believed himself to be redeemed, the committee had sent him away. Blindfolded and led into the center of a large sparring room, Rech released a long, controlled breath, doing his best not to grin as he excitedly awaited his test. He knew the evaluators were watching him carefully, keenly attuned to his emotions, but he couldn't help the smile on his face. He hadn't felt so good, so well prepared in years.

Having just turned twenty-one a few days ago, it had hardly been more than two years, but he knew he had grown so much since his Knighting Ceremony at nineteen. He left Yavin IV that night in search of Mand, and his life hadn't slowed since. It hardly seemed possible that his most desperate struggles, his most skill-challenging battles, and the sweetest, most joyous events had all taken place in two short years. He had sworn an oath to the Jedi Order, and back on Coruscant to reaffirm his choice and demonstrate how much he had learned from his experiences, he was only eager to show them.

With his lightsaber hilt loosely in his grip at his side, he felt a mild alarm sound in the back of his mind, putting his senses on edge.

The test was beginning.

A sudden whoosh of tiny repulsor remotes echoed all around him, and his grin broadened as he counted then. At least thirty practice remotes hovered around him, each darting between each other in random patterns. He could hear the electric buzz in the air as they charged their small, low energy blasters, and opening himself completely to the Force...he waited.

The first remote to fire was directly behind him. Swinging his arms up, he ignited his lightsaber and rotated his wrists to extend the blade down the length of his back. Just as he blocked the bolt, the rest of the remotes unleashed a flurry of fire, forcing Rech to bring his blade back in front of him. Unable to block them all, he deftly twisted his body about as he swung his saber in grand arcs around himself, deflecting the tiny bolts away from the remotes. Blocking the numerous small blasts with his blade required so much control, but resisting the urge to send them back in the direction from which they came was that much more challenging. He had to defeat them some other way, proving his restraint and total control of his refined defense strategy.

Rech grinned again as he leaped into the air, soaring over the bunched remotes as his blindfold ties snapped against his cheek. He deflected their fire as he twisted and somersaulted overhead, landing a good distance away from them. With all of them in front of him, though, he easily blocked their rapid haze of bolts. Sensing a small, empty cargo container nearby, he slowly floated it up behind them while he retained their attention with his blade, which had blurred into a bright blue shield before him with his rapid movements. While still parrying their fire with his saber in one hand, he extended his free hand toward them, wrapping an invisible grip around each individual remote, then lowered his hand. Simultaneously, the remotes gradually sunk to the floor under his command, and after they released one last round of bolts, he swung his blade and twisted his wrist, turning the container over on top of them, trapping them all inside it.

Though he could still hear them buzzing about under the container agitatedly, he powered down his saber and watched the box momentarily. Even though they were merely programmed practice remotes, he had defeated them without destroying a single one. _A victory over an opponent need not always be destructive, but decisive_, Rech remembered Master Noor telling him years ago. He could hardly claim victory over a bunch of mindless droids, and surely the evaluation committee had more of a challenge in store for him...

_Follow the hall to your left for the next stage of your test._

Reaching out with the Force, he probed the hall beside him, using his senses to "see" what lay ahead of him. He relied heavily on what the Force projected into his mind, but his other senses were helpful, as well. He heard the subtle change in the echo of his footsteps as he continued on into the hall, and he felt a shift in the vibrations in his legs as he made cautious steps, as though the stone underneath him were thinner than what he had been standing on earlier. The more he moved, the more information he gathered...

But the hall eventually came to an abrupt dead end. He reached out a hand to feel the cool, solid stone wall in front of him, perplexed. Had he missed a turn he was supposed to make? He was very sure he had made his way down a door-less, windowless corridor, so why had he been instructed to go this way?

As he stretched his senses all around him, he noticed a strange sound filtering down to him from above. As he turned one ear upward, he heard the subtle howl of a light breeze sweeping over a narrow opening. Again reaching out to explore the area, he sensed a long passage extending straight up from the hall, opening to the Coruscant sky high above him.

Just as he began to investigate further, though, he felt his lightsaber hilt get stripped from his hand. Before he could react, it flew up the shaft, up and out of his reach. Flustered, he drew on the Force to propel him up after it, making one powerful leap that landed him on a thin ledge at the top of the shaft.

Regaining his balance and extending his search, he felt his saber still floating away from him out across a series of tall, narrow columns randomly arranged over a shallow pool of water. The fall alone would be painful enough, but the bed of rocks just under the water's surface would make the failure that much worse.

Still determined, though, Rech drew in a deep breath and made a simple Force-powered jump to the nearest column -- and felt a sudden blast hit him midair, barely landing him on a different column nearby. He had to swing his arms wildly to keep from falling backwards off the small, round step, and before he could regain his footing, he sensed another blast headed for him. He made a desperate back flip, twisting himself to avoid another at the height of his jump, but he took a second hit in the stomach as he landed, knocking him off the column. Barely able to extend his reach as he fell, he desperately gripped the edge of another column, dangling perilously from it.

Breathing heavily, he kept his senses on high alert as he hung over the serene pool far below him. After pausing for a brief moment, he noticed that the attacks had stopped, or at least, they hadn't yet extended down to him as he clung to the column edge. Able to finally think, he searched the area for his saber...and found it, perched atop a pedestal on the other end of the pool. How was he going to get all the way over there, though, if he couldn't even make it from one column to another? He was beginning to formulate a plan, but would it work...?

Swinging himself side to side until he built up enough momentum, he released the edge and used the Force to power himself up onto a column top and immediately launched himself into the air again as he had moments before. Instead of avoiding the blasts, though, he absorbed them, using them to redirect his energy as his toes barely made contact with the columns. Anticipating each blow, he reoriented his body, forcing the power to aid him, not work against him, and propel him through the air.

He effortlessly made his way across the pool, and with one last bounding leap, he landed on the ledge near his lightsaber with ease. Though he anticipated meeting another challenge, he felt no impending attack, no alarm sounding in his mind, so he slowly reached a hand up and called his weapon to his open palm, gripping it tightly with the Force as well as within his hand.

The instant the hilt touched his palm, though, an intense, sharp pain in his stomach doubled him over, stealing his breath. It had hit him so hard and so suddenly, he knew it hadn't been a result of his struggle to get across the pool. No, the pain came from somewhere else entirely, and as he fell to his knees, again breathing heavily, he ripped his blindfold off, squinting in the daylight as he struggled to determine the source of his feelings.

A human Jedi Master landed on the ledge beside him within moments, tossing her long braided blond hair behind herself as she quickly knelt beside Rech, seriously concerned.

"Mr. Natiyr, are you injured?"

The realization struck him harder than the original pain had, and as his upper body sagged to the side, he was just able to lock his elbow and catch himself with one palm on the ground, his gaze unfocused and frozen.

"No," he answered her breathlessly, "...but my wife is."


	4. Chapter 4

Elena knew that bringing the Paneau Consul and others present in her office up to date on Koril's condition was going to be difficult to endure, especially since she had to quickly think of some way to explain his current mental state...without actually telling them of the depths of his depression. She was still struggling to understand it herself, and she knew the Paneau were anxious to hear good news about their Head of Security who had been missing for months, so she instead focused on his physical recovery. Hopefully his mood would improve once he felt better.

Consul Neludu smiled kindly as Elena concluded, looking pleased to hear about Koril. "As you've said, my dear, he is in good hands here. He should be able to return home soon?"

Elena shrugged. "I'm not sure. I came here as soon as the medics took him into the med center, so I'll talk to the doctors again once I get back to them. I wanted to first make arrangements for a guard detail for him while we're here on Coruscant."

"Of course, Miss Lyran," the Consul answered, standing to step around her desk. The nine Royal Navy officers who had stood to the side and had remained quiet but attentive as Elena discussed Koril's condition all suddenly straightened their postures as Consul Neludu approached them. The petite old woman directed one of the men forward, gently tugging on his arm with a smile as he reluctantly stepped in front of the others.

"These are the men of Paneau's Edgepoint Squadron," Consul Neludu began. "They have volunteered to be the High Commander's personal guard."

Furrowing her brows, Elena looked at the others. "You're...pilots?"

The officer at Consul Neludu's side bowed slightly to her as he spoke. "Commander Cal Jax, m'lady. We're Paneau's best, and rest assured, we're well-trained guards, as well. We're at the High Commander's service, and yours."

Recalling their earlier conversation, Elena could hardly keep herself from rolling her eyes as she grinned up at her escort, Captain Aurin Jax, who still stood behind her. He smiled, too, shaking his head. She looked back to the other Jax, nodding as she accepted his assertion. Consul Neludu stepped away, allowing the Commander to introduce his men.

"Gray Flisteg, Edgepoint Two," Commander Jax began, patting the shoulder of a lanky older man who nodded. Jax turned slightly to the next man beside him. "And Saross Wip, Edgepoint Three."

The young pilot bowed politely, having to toss his medium length blond hair out of his face as he righted himself with a smile. "Swip, for short, m'lady."

"Malkrin Illio," Jax pointed to another older pilot who nearly immediately spoke over his Commander.

"Mal, please," he countered gruffly. The rest of the pilots gave short laughs, as his dislike for his full name was apparently common knowledge. Grinning, too, Jax continued and stepped up beside one of his youngest pilots who hadn't stopped smiling since Elena had arrived in the Consul's office.

"Edgepoint Five, Jod Brader."

Jod bowed, too, hardly containing his excitement. "A pleasure, m'lady. I've had a large boot to fill, taking the High Commander's spot in this squadron, and it's such an honor to meet you again."

Again? Elena wondered. The expression must've been evident on her face as Commander Jax explained. "High Commander Rys'tihn served four years as Edgepoint Five. We all met you once before at a Security meeting a few months ago, though we weren't formally introduced. We were the ones who made fun of his hair."

Once more the Edgepoints all laughed together, and Elena laughed, too, remembering their prank and how much it had lifted Koril's spirits. So that's where she recognized them from. They were his closest buddies in Paneau's Security Forces, and here they were offering to protect him as any good friends would.

Continuing on, Jax stepped up beside another pilot who easily stood a head taller than his squadmates. "And this is --"

"Tiny," Swip interjected, again garnering laughs from the others. Jax grinned again but quickly corrected his pilot.

"Mennil Leikam," he amended, stepping on to the others quickly. "Kress Tael, Edgepoint Seven, then our Salastryni exchange pilot Daslen, and --"

Again the others interrupted him, almost all of them speaking simultaneously and grinning broadly.

"The Emperor!"

A young, shy pilot on the end laughed and looked down, blushing as Kress shoved him teasingly. Curious, Elena waited for clarification. Though still blushing, the "Emperor" looked up and bowed slightly.

"Emmpallek Teann, m'lady," he said with an embarrassed smile. "My name is ancient Paneau for ruler, so..." he shrugged.

"So he's the Emperor," Jod continued joking, but getting a firm look from Commander Jax, he stopped, and the rest of the Edgepoints followed suit. Stepping in front of them again, Jax turned back to Elena, glancing at his relative standing behind her.

"Anyway, the Edgepoint Squadron, entirely at your service, m'lady. You may assign us however you decide is best for you and for the High Commander. We have several ships here at our disposal, ranging from fighters for escort to medium transport if the space is needed." Pausing briefly, he again looked behind her. "I see you've met my cousin Aurin, and are using him what for what he's best at - baby duty."

Aurin rolled his eyes with a grin as he shook his head, but before he could fight back, Consul Neludu returned to Cal's side, her expression suddenly grim.

"You boys had best save your joking for later and report to the High Commander," she addressed them somberly. Understanding Consul Neludu's tone, Elena felt her heart skip a beat, and as she stood from her seat, the old woman turned to her, looking worried.

"Dr. Onalo is requesting that you return to the med center immediately, Miss Lyran. It seems that they've encountered...trouble with the High Commander's treatment."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

Consul Neludu shook her head. "I'm afraid she did not specify."

Feeling her pulse quicken, Elena glanced about at the Edgepoints who were all looking at her with deep concern. Beside her, Captain Aurin Jax put a hand on her shoulder, and checking on the two caretakers who stood to the side cradling her son Derek as he slept, she swallowed hard, giving her first command to a full squadron and servants under her control.

"I want you all with me. I'll decide where to assign you later."

Commander Jax and his Edgepoints all nodded and filed out immediately, heading for their ships. Elena turned back to the Consul, nodding quickly.

"Thank you, Consul. I'll keep you informed."

The Consul bowed to her respectfully but remained quiet. As they swiftly left the office closely behind the Edgepoints, Elena looked back at Kollie and Raen with Derek, speaking pointedly. "Stay close to me," she ordered, and with Captain Jax at her side, she made her way back to their transport, hoping it would return them to the med center more quickly than they had left it.

* * *

If her previous bad luck hadn't proven to anyone that Coruscant itself did not want her there...surely being attacked by a seemingly imaginary beast would drive away any remaining doubt.

Sitting on a bed in the Jedi Temple's small med wing with her legs hanging off the side, Mand sighed dejectedly, watching a few Jedi Masters discussing her encounter out of earshot. After her quick healing and recovery, she had told them every detail of the attack, down to the calculating way the creature had stared her down, but their reactions had been less than sympathetic. Did they not believe her? They had never heard of such a beast before, either, so instead, they questioned the reality of her injuries. She had answered a dozen questions about whether she had fallen into a meditative state, whether she had dabbled in illicit drugs, addressing every other option besides an animal attack.

Apparently her skills were rustier than she originally thought. It was humiliating enough that she had so easily been bested by such a feral beast, but to have wise Jedi Masters believe her mentally unstable was far worse. If the creature was gone and hadn't been seen by anyone else on its way in and out of the Temple, how was she going to make them believe her? She knew she hadn't imagined it, but how could she prove it?

While desperately trying to formulate an answer, a strange series of images flashed in her mind. They were completely unrelated to the attack, and seemingly random, they caught her off guard. Blinking momentarily, she attempted to recall them to identify them, but they were gone. They left her with a faint foreboding feeling, but sure they were simply brought on by the stress she had just endured, she shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

Another image froze her breath in her chest, taking her back six years to the day she was kidnapped in the middle of a busy Coruscant market. She was already aboard her abductor's ship, lying limply on the floor under his control, when several men dressed in pristine white uniforms descended upon her, picking her up by the arms --

"Mand!"

Broken from her recollection, she looked up just in time to see her husband quickly step up to her and embrace her tightly. She hugged him back just as much, glad to be in his arms again.

"Rech," she breathed with relief, but she gasped as she realized where he should be. She pulled back from him, looking confused. "Rech! What are you doing here? Did you finish your test already?"

He searched her face with concern, assessing her condition as he gently brushed his hand over her cheek. "I had to make sure you were okay. What happened?"

"I'm fine," she deflected quickly. "Rech, your test!"

He casually shook his head, though, still looking her over. "They let me postpone it briefly." Seeing her alarm, he continued. "It's alright, I'm almost done, anyway. Mand, what _happened_ to you?"

Satisfied for the time being, she sighed, looking down. "I was attacked by...a very quick, powerful beast. I was in the Training Center, but there was no one else around, except for this...thing." With his hand gently under her chin, he lifted her face up to look him in the eye, and she went on. "It had a nasty spiked tail, that's what injured me the worst. It seemed like it was...waiting, just for me."

Worried, Rech put a hand on her shoulder, presumably double checking her healing. "Do you know what it was?" She shook her head.

"I've never seen anything like it before, and apparently," she said with a dark edge to her voice, "no one else has, either."

Before Rech could counter with another question, one of the Jedi Healers who had worked on her earlier stepped back into the room, looking over her briefly. She was a kind, young Zabrak who hardly looked any older than Mand or Rech, but she was already an accomplished healer and one of the younger instructors at the Temple. She maintained a neutral expression as she addressed Mand, her hands folded in front of her.

"We'd like for you to stay here, Mrs. Natiyr, at least until tomorrow morning," she said quietly. "You're completely healed, but we want to monitor for any other conditions that may arise."

Mand only gave a short nod in response, her expression sour as the Healer left silently. She knew what they wanted to watch for... Though she looked to the floor, Rech again turned her face up.

"Mand?"

Not caring that the Zabrak was still within range of hearing her, Mand hardly contained her voice. "They think I'm crazy," she spat intensely. "They've never heard of such an animal, and no one else saw it, so therefore, I must have made it up and somehow injured myself. They're trying to find any way they can to pin the blame on me, so that it's all up in my head. I --" she stopped shortly, grimacing as her aching intensified the more heated she got. Releasing a slow breath to calm herself, she continued. "I don't know how to convince them, so now they're going to keep me here, I guess to make _sure_ I go insane."

Lightly sweeping her hair back from her face, Rech held her gaze intently, compassion saturating his expression. His voice was soft but strong, easing her anger.

"I believe you."

Feeling her irritation fading, she sighed again, allowing a feeble grin to form. "I've been attacked by everything else, why not an imaginary beast..."

"Mand..."

Looking back up at him, her expression again became grim as she thought back to the encounter. "It was a terrible creature... It was so quick. I don't know how, but I think it was faster than I was. I tried outrunning it, outjumping it, even throwing it against a wall, nothing worked. Even though it had time, something scared it away before it dealt a final blow. I just..." Shaking her head, she brought a hand to her forehead, lowering her voice. "I never thought I'd be so alone in the Temple."

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders to comfort her, Rech kissed her on the top of the head. "Well, we won't have to be here much longer. I'll finish my test, they'll let you go, then we don't have to come back here."

"...unless we have to again," she continued for him, "and I will. Coruscant is closer to Paneau than Yavin IV, and since I seem to attract weird animals and people that want to kill me, I need to complete my training sometime so I can carry a lightsaber again. I would've won that fight if I had been able to use a lightsaber, or any weapon, really, against that thing..."

Rech smiled supportively. "I don't doubt that. You've always been a better duelist than I."

Faintly smiling again, Mand leaned against him briefly, but eventually sat back from him with a resigned expression. "You need to get back to your test. I'm fine, and you shouldn't keep them waiting too long."

He turned to face her properly, gazing deeply into her eyes to make sure she was alright. She again smiled weakly, and even though he didn't look convinced, he slowly swept her up into a sweet kiss, then gently touched his forehead to hers.

"I love you," he breathed, broadening her smile.

"I love you, too. Now go, before I do go crazy."

He stepped back, smiling a little as he shook his head. She watched him leave silently, returning to his evaluation, and her smile faded immediately as he disappeared. An ominous feeling returned to her thoughts, and attempting to quell it for the time being, she swung her legs around up onto to bed and laid down on her side, grimacing briefly with lingering soreness as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Flanked by all nine Edgepoints, Capt. Jax, and Derek's caretakers, Elena and the twelve behind her filled the medical center's hallways as she made her way to Koril's room. Other visitors and medics were only barely able to step out of her way as she walked quickly, but she still feared she wasn't going to get to him in time. Ice-cold blood ran through her veins as an intense fear gripped her; she could feel Koril's life force fading with each passing second, and she knew he already had little drive to live left. She couldn't bear to think that they had fought so hard to get him back, yet he was still slipping away...

Rounding the last corner, Elena sped up her pace, nearly sprinting down the hall. She could hear the Edgepoints keeping up behind her, and she didn't have the heart to tell them to leave. They, too, would want to see Koril and help him, but amidst a flurry of nurses and medics quickly rushing inside with supplies and medications bundled in their arms, she wondered if even she would be granted access into the room. Regardless of whether they wanted her there or not, she forced her way past a few medics, and finally seeing Koril, she froze in terror.

At least seven of the medics were grasping his limbs tightly to immobilize them as his entire body shook with rough tremors. His eyes were rolled upward, and what she could see of his skin was almost bright red, a stark contrast from how she remembered leaving him. Several different critical alarms and beeps were sounding from the various machines he was hooked up to, creating a chaotic atmosphere that was supplemented by the concerned medics who called out a series of tense orders.

"Get more from the other rooms if you have to--"

"_Where_ is that tropalanol?"

"Right here, doctor, but there's not eno--"

"Amti, more fluids, that second one's almost gone--"

"More ice packs, too, he's not cooling fast enough."

"We've _got_ to break this fever, his heart can't take--"

As the seizure finally released its hold of him and he became still again, Elena somehow found herself at his side, shutting out all other sound and movement about her as she looked down on him. Shaking with anxiety, she already knew what she needed to do, and putting her freezing cold palms at his warm neck where she could feel his weak pulse, she concentrated, drawing on the Force to cool his blood as it passed though his vessels under her hands.

She had to think of her home on Hoth, of seeing her parents and her brother again... But her thoughts just as easily shifted to memories of nights with Koril, of the Rys'tihn Manor that had become her new home, to the new life they were preparing to build together with their son. Such emotional reflections chilled her entire body, as Koril had noted on several occasions, and she never thought she would be saving his life with it.

A soft hand on her shoulder brought her out of her concentration, but she didn't open her eyes until she heard the voice behind her. "M'lady," Capt. Jax said quietly, "it worked."

Looking up at the monitors arranged behind Koril, she eventually realized that they had all silenced, even the one that tracked his body temperature. His heart rate was still agonizingly slow, but seemingly stabilized, she lifted her hands from his neck, brushing back his hair from his forehead. She was familiar with the feeling, having been in the same place for most of the past few weeks after finally finding Koril, but as she released a shaky breath, she turned back to the medical team that had reconvened around him and continued his treatment.

"What happened?" she demanded. Dr. Onalo stepped forward, her expression somber.

"We're not sure how, or for how long, but Mr. Rys'tihn's IV fluids were somehow dislodged from his arm. He quickly became dehydrated, which caused a sudden, very high fever. We had trouble getting his temperature down before the seizure began, as you saw, but now that he's gotten fluids and the medications he declined, we can resume his treatment."

Elena blinked, swallowing dryly. "...he refused medication?" Dr. Onalo nodded, and another woman stepped up beside her, nodding, too.

"Adamantly, ma'am. I tried three times to change his mind."

Looking back down at Koril, she again ran her fingers through his hair, her tone hardening. "Then he was left alone."

"We were closely monitoring him, I assure you --"

"I told you specifically that he was in no state to be left by himself," she said as she leveled her pained anger at them. "Did you not understand what I told you about what had happened to him for _four months_?" Again Capt. Jax's hand on her shoulder changed her focus, and looking just behind the doctor, she saw the Edgepoints lined up along the back of the room, but each wore a troubled expression as they watched her with Koril intently. Their faces were so disheartened, seeing their High Commander and former squadmate so ill, and she knew her reaction wasn't helping them. Taking in a slow breath to calm herself, she returned to Dr. Onalo as the remorseful doctor continued.

"He will not be alone again, you have my word."

"You're right, he won't," Elena answered, feigning confidence as she glanced again at the Edgepoints. "Three of my guards will be stationed with him at all times, and another two will be posted outside his door. In addition, I will be responsible for his care from now on. If you need approval for any medication or treatment, you will get it from me. Am I understood?"

Dr. Onalo nodded sympathetically, looking to her team to get their agreement, as well. Elena glanced beside herself at Capt. Jax, wordlessly designating him to assign the Edgepoints to guard posts, and he accepted the task. As the medics continued their work on Koril, Elena remained beside him, holding his hand tightly and waiting worriedly once again for him to wake up.


	5. Chapter 5

_Immobilized and incapacitated, her vision blurred with the intense pain. She wasn't able to scream, but the tears streaming back to her ears from the corners of her eyes seemed to get the point across. The men in white hovering around her pushed in another injector further down her arm, watching her curiously. Her gaze darted around wildly, and even though her entire arm began to shake from the trauma, they continued to shove the injector into the bone mercilessly. They wanted her marrow, her raw DNA, from the most painful place possible, so another injector bored deep into her leg --_

Gasping for breath as she shot straight up in bed, Mand was only able to register that someone had his arms around her, holding her tightly, once she realized that she had been startled out of another vivid memory. Recognizing the room about her as the Jedi Temple med wing, she relaxed the slightest bit, but still had to calm her breathing. Not caring who was embracing her and thankful for the comfort, she hugged him back, willing her racing heartbeat to slow.

"It's okay, Mand," Veon Banarecc's gentle voice whispered to her, "you're safe."

Immensely relieved to hear the former king's words and to have him at her side, she tightened her hold briefly. As her breathing normalized, he released her, carefully cradling her head with one hand as she lowered herself back down to the bed. He looked on her as a father would, hovering over her and searching her face worriedly. He may as well have formally adopted her, as much as he had cared for her over the past few years. Though he looked much worse for wear than she, having endured severe stress and grief in the aftermath of the Dalon Palace collapse and his subsequent exile, his eyes were tired yet still deeply compassionate.

"Are you alright?"

Nodding as she gave him a fatigued smile, she brought up a hand and rubbed her face, still trying to remove the images from her memory. With her hand over her eyes, she spoke weakly with a light comedic air, hoping to ease his anxiety.

"Have I told you how much I loathe this planet?"

Veon didn't seem to pick up on her tone, though, remaining concerned. He gently lifted her hand from her face, holding it between his. "You weren't sleeping well. I wasn't even sure if you were asleep at all. Nightmares?"

Mand sighed, looking away from him briefly. "Yes and no. They're...memories of my disappearance." Still not even sure herself what exactly she was seeing, she struggled to put an explanation into words. "It's strange, though. I know that what I've seen did happen to me, I know it's me in the middle of these...recollections, but I must have immediately suppressed them - this is the first time that I've consciously remembered what happened. I think I always knew, but not so...vividly."

Veon squeezed her hand. "You've been under a lot of tension and anxiety lately. Being back here where those...memories all began probably hasn't helped matters. But I'm sure they'll pass with time." Pausing to look down the length of her body, his gaze stopped at her stomach, and he returned to meet her eyes. "I heard what happened. How are you feeling?"

Briefly unsure what he meant, she shook her head to clear her mind. "I' m--I'm good, I'm fine. Just a little sore, but they took care of me. They want to keep me here for a while to make sure they did a good job, I guess." She gave him a weak smile, but again, he didn't look convinced.

"Veon," she said pointedly, holding his gaze, "I'm _okay_."

Eventually his expression relaxed as he nodded, accepting her assertion. He still held her hand, though, watching her closely as she continued.

"But I know you didn't come here just to see me," she said with an amiable grin. Again Veon nodded, glancing behind himself at a doorway out of Mand's view.

"A few of us made the trip to see Koril when we heard he'd be here. We haven't been able to see him yet, though."

Mand furrowed her brows. "He must be having some trouble, then. I was worried about the trip from Agamar, how long it was going to be and how unequipped we were..."

"He is going to be okay, though, right?"

As much as Mand wanted to say yes to lighten Veon's sullen expression, she at the same time didn't want to give him false hope. Koril faced an extremely long recovery, made all that more difficult by his depression. Sighing quietly, she squeezed Veon's hand.

"He has a lot to get through, but...we won't give up on him."

Veon shook his head strongly. "Wasn't planning on it." After a silent understanding passed between them, he released a long breath, seemingly anxious to move on to other, more positive topics, though his voice remained low. "How's his son?"

Finally able to, Mand smiled broadly, fondly thinking of the newborn. "He's doing well. He was...a little premature, which caused some complications with his delivery, but he's very strong, and he is one cute little kid."

With a light laugh, Veon smiled, too, picking up on her genuine affection. "Well, with parents like his, he's bound to be a heart-stopper. I can't wait to meet him."

Tired of laying down, Mand sighed as she slowly sat up, smiling her thanks as Veon steadied her with a hand on her back. Her soreness was nearly gone, thankfully, so moving wasn't painful, but she called on the Force to ease the stiffness in her muscles.

"Hopefully they won't keep me here much longer. I wanted to get back to Elena by now. She's been handling Derek well so far, but I'm sure she's a little busy and distracted here."

Deciding she was better able to move, Mand swung her legs around over the bed's edge and stood, and not surprising her, Veon was instantly at her side. Again, she smiled, trying to dissolve his concern, but before she could continue, a young excited voice behind her stopped her.

"Mand!"

Mand's smile widened as she turned to see Ri Banarecc running into the room with a bright smile on her face. The six-year-old Princess wrapped her arms around Mand just as she knelt down to her level, and Mand hugged her back just as tightly. She saw that Ri had left her uncle Joshua Redgrave's side to meet her, and he gave her a friendly nod as he stepped inside and conversed quietly with Veon, his brother-in-law. Ri still kept her tight hold of Mand, though, so she scooped her up and stood with her, looking her over.

"Goodness, Ri," Mand joked, "I'm not going to be able to do this much longer if you get any taller!"

Ri laughed. "Nope nope! You don't have to watch me anymore, either! I'm six now, I don't need a nanny."

Mand raised a teasing eyebrow at her. "Oh really? So I'm out of a job, then? What am I going to do, sit around and watch flowers grow?" With a mischievous grin, Mand began tickling Ri around her stomach, and she was only just able to keep her arms around the squirming girl as they both laughed. After making Ri nearly breathless with laughter, Mand bent over and set her back down on the ground, giving her a playful stare as she stood and looked back to Veon and Joshua who both looked troubled.

"Mand," Veon began solemnly, "they're saying we should get to the med center to visit Koril. He's not faring well."

Mand furrowed her brows, allowing her expression to fall. Surely he had all those doctors that met them on the _Celestia_ working on him as best they could --

_A dozen masked medics all gripped her arms and legs firmly, further immobilizing her as she felt another injector piercing her through the heart. The pain radiated through her chest as they forced a searing hot liquid inside it, and she began to choke as she felt her heart slow and eventually stop beating. Somehow she remained conscious, though, still completely aware of everything going on around her. The medics spoke in low, alien languages, ones she had never heard before, but they were calm, even as they casually observed her cardiac arrest that would've caused a frenzy among any normal doctors. Her chest still burned, but she began to realize that she had stopped breathing, as well. Her mind still worked...but how...?_

Suddenly blind, Mand felt and heard herself gasping and coughing roughly, tightly gripping a fistful of her own shirt over her heart. As her breathing calmed, she realized she was lying on the floor on her back, but even though the pain in her chest dissipated, her head pounded fiercely in its place and her vision still hadn't recovered. She had begun to panic, but a warm hand gently supporting her neck calmed her.

"Easy, Mand," Veon's voice soothed her once again. "Joshua's gone to get one of your Healers."

Blinking several times, she tried once more to force her eyes to work, but they still refused to function. She could hardly keep the fear out of her voice. "What happened?"

Veon sounded faintly anxious, as well. "You collapsed, and your head hit the floor rather hard... Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Only interested in getting her vision back, she lied. "No." Just as she began to ask a question of her own, a small sob beside her froze her words, wrenching her stomach into an icy knot. Standing just in front of her, Ri had witnessed it all.

"Ri, sweetheart," she said softly as she reached up a hand to the girl knelt beside her, lightly brushing her hair from her face and tears from her cheeks. "I'll be okay. I'm sorry I scared you." Though her voice still shook, she had done her best to sound reassuring. Unable to see her reaction, though, Mand waited patiently for a pained moment. A few remaining choked sobs escaped Ri, but she calmed somewhat, tightly gripping Mand's hand.

The young girl didn't need any more trauma in her life. She had lost her mother and half-sister at a difficult age, and after a year of maturing and learning how to process death, Mand was sure that nothing scared Ri more than losing someone else she loved. Though these flashbacks were quickly taking hold of her, Mand declared to herself that they had done their worst. Resolute in her decision, she squeezed Ri's hand and drew in a slow breath, determined to repair her throbbing head as best she could.

* * *

Though more than thirty Paneau were milling about in the hall outside Koril's room in the med center, Elena only recognized four of them. Kander Gedall, a member of the Gedall Royal Family, stood closest to the door, conversing quietly with Davik Ordeel, another Royal. Elena had met both Kander and Davik months ago, just after learning about the five other Royal Families besides the Banareccs. They had been generous, concerned friends throughout all of Koril's recent troubles, and their presence was comforting among the sea of unfamiliar yet still worried faces.

Another familiar friend had remained close by her side through the tense crowd. Commander Brent Jax, Koril's best friend, had hardly left her sight since arriving, holding his quiet three-year-old daughter Pallas in his arms. He hadn't said much, and neither had Elena, but they understood and respected each other's anxiety.

Despite the attention and treatment Koril was getting in the Coruscant medical center, his condition was still deteriorating, baffling even the doctors tending to him. Elena knew that he had been severely weakened by the four months he had spent under the Huxnel's debilitating virus, but he had also been mentally defeated, and it seemed that he had completely given up. Though she couldn't prove it, and she actually feared knowing the truth, she suspected that he had pulled out his own IVs in despair, and he had yet to wake up from his bout with dehydration, a fever, and an ensuing seizure. She was still slowly losing him, but this time, she had to keep her emotions in check. There were too many people around for her to look the way she felt.

With Captain Aurin Jax leading Kollie and Raen behind her with Derek, and Brent carrying Pallas beside her, Elena met the two Edgepoints posted outside Koril's door. Mennil Leikam and Mal Illio nodded cordially to her and the others, stepping aside to allow them inside. She glanced to the side at Kander and Davik, giving them a weak smile as they watched her carefully. Though she did her best to seem calm, she released a shaky breath as she walked in, weary from constant worry. Aptly detecting her feelings, Brent put a light hand on her shoulder, and she relaxed slightly, thankful for the company.

A pair of nurses and Dr. Onalo remained at Koril's side, fixated on the monitors above him. Another three Edgepoints, Jod Brader, Saross Wip, and Kress Tael kept watch inside the room, and they stood at attention upon seeing Elena, though their faces were worn and solemn. As she approached, the nurses looked up at her and stepped back from him, making one last round of checks before they moved again, further out of her way. She took her usual place beside Koril, holding his hand as she looked him over. They had fitted him with a breath mask since she had last seen him, and his skin was once again pale. His heartbeat, reported by a soft beep, was worryingly slow, as though even his heart was beginning to give out. With a shaky hand, she ran her fingers through his hair, having to make a conscious effort to keep her expression neutral as she looked up to the doctor expectantly.

"We've been having difficulty stabilizing his heart rate," Dr. Onalo began quietly, glancing at the others behind Elena, as well. "The sudden high fever may have damaged the heart itself. There's only so much we can do about repairing it, but it is possible that it could recover on its own over time."

Looking back down at Koril, Elena had to remind herself to breathe. She again felt Brent's hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently to convey support. She turned slightly to him and nodded, but she immediately looked back up at the doctor, leveling a determined gaze at her.

"I want to invite a Jedi Healer here, then. They may be able to help reverse the damage."

To her surprise, Dr. Onalo nodded. "I think that would be beneficial." With a small smile, she glanced behind herself at her nurses and continued. "I'll see what arrangements I can make." Leaving one nurse behind, Dr. Onalo left quietly with the other, and feeling the weight of the report, Elena sank onto a nearby chair, letting her head hang forward.

So his heart _was_ failing. Hers felt as though it would slow and give out, too, but Derek's soft cries behind her forced her out of her anguish. She stood and quickly stepped over to Raen, carefully scooping him from the young woman's arms to comfort him. His cries became louder, though, as she rocked him, so she instead turned to the Force to calm the two-week-old boy as she returned to her seat beside Koril.

_It's okay, love, it's okay... _She kissed him gently on the forehead, stroking his soft black hair with her thumb to calm him further. Though she struggled to quell her own fears for his sake, he finally quieted, returning to making his usual tired grunts before he fell asleep again. He was used to her messages through the Force, since she talked to him so often, and his young mind had even learned to give a tiny response back.

Though it made her smile to feel it, it saddened her at the same time; her connection with Derek was stronger than her connection with Koril. She had at one time hoped to strengthen Koril's Force abilities before their son's birth, intent on giving him the chance to share in the bond she had forged with Derek as he grew within her, but she hadn't even begun before Koril had been taken away. She still faced losing him, and she felt her stomach twist in fear with the thought that he may not even hold his newborn son in his arms before he died.

"M'lady," Captain Jax's low voice came from behind her, bringing her attention back up to Koril. Though she hadn't sensed a change in him, his eyes slowly opened halfway and he looked about the room briefly before returning his gaze to the ceiling.

As Elena stood, Raen was already beside her, prepared to take Derek from her. Checking that his blanket was tucked tightly around him, Elena reluctantly handed him to her again before returning to Koril, her breath frozen in her chest. She grasped his hand tightly as she leaned over him and brushed his hair back from his forehead, searching his black eyes.

For a long moment, their eyes locked together without a word or a sound from either. Even his weak, shallow breathing was quiet until she finally heard him speak, though it was muffled by the breath mask. Knowing she needed to hear him, she glanced furtively at the nurse beside her as she gently removed it, setting it beside his head to replace it later. Thankfully the nurse didn't protest, and as Elena returned to Koril once more, she held her breath as he prepared to speak again, his voice hardly as loud as a whisper.

"Elena, please...let me go."

Stunned, Elena had to force the words from her mouth as her emotions began to get the better of her, making her voice shake. "No...no, Koril, don't talk like that. You're going to be fine, you just...hit a little setback. You're dehydrated, you're not thinking straight, but you're going to be okay."

Still weak, he continued after a shallow breath as though he hadn't heard anything she had said. "I'm not...strong enough..."

Feeling her heart sinking further, she released his hand and reached up to his face, caressing his cheek as he closed his eyes. As much as she tried to keep her voice strong for him, she could hear her anxiety creeping in. "You don't have to be. Koril, these doctors are going to help you, but you have to _let_ them. They told me you refused medication..." As he looked back up at her with half-open eyes, she searched them worriedly, her expression not belying her fear. Still, he went on, sounding weaker as the tense seconds passed.

"I can't fight anymore... I am so..._tired_..."

She drew in a shaky breath, having to blink back tears. "I know you are," she whispered as she felt his head falling against her hand. "I know. But you can't give up now, not after how far you've come. You beat that virus, Koril, it's gone. You can only get better from here, but you have to let us fight for you. You have so many friends here wanting to help you, wanting to do anything they can for you." She swallowed hard only to find her throat completely dry. "We need you," she continued softly, and as she drew in a breath to finish her plea, a single tear fell down her cheek as she recalled when he had said the same to her.

"_I _need you..."

Though his eyes were focused on her, they were distant and cold, even beyond the solid black the virus had left behind. It seemed as though the man she loved was already gone, replaced by an empty shell that was begging for its release. The Koril she knew and agreed to marry wouldn't have given up, and even if he had, she wouldn't let him.

"Please," he asked one last time, breathless, "...let me go."

But Elena shook her head with determination, her expression hard. "No, I refuse. I won't."

Pulled back under by the conversation's exertion, Koril's eyes closed as his head fell further to the side then stilled against her palm. She brushed her fingers against his cheek before she sat back, resting her elbows on the edge of the bed beside him as she held her head in her hands, her entire body shaking with silent sobs.

Once again sensitive to her mood, Derek resumed crying, instantly changing her focus. She stood and turned to Raen who was still nearby, lifting the boy into her arms though she still shook with an occasional sob. Both Raen and Capt. Jax stepped towards her in concern, but she shook her head, dismissing their worry as she returned to her seat beside Koril.

Though it took her a while to calm her son, he eventually slowed his cries to faint moans. As she continued to rock him, she looked up at Koril, momentarily watching him sleep. She heard the others closing in and standing behind her, but her eyes didn't leave Koril. Inspired by her earlier thoughts, she stood and stepped closer to him, gently moving his arm away from his side a little. She leaned over, and holding Koril's arm in place, she carefully set Derek down in the crook of his arm, lightly wrapping his hand around the infant. After softly kissing them both on their foreheads, she sat back down, holding Koril's hand in place over Derek as she rested her head on his shoulder, sharing with him what energy she could spare.


	6. Chapter 6

Time seemed to have slowed to a standstill. The longer he stayed at the window, the less things seemed to happen, making the two weeks he had spent in the secluded compound agonizingly long.

Horatio Sheridan stood at the window with his arm crossed over his chest and his other fist at his mouth, his gaze firmly fixed on one lone backlit window on the fourth floor of the nearest building. He was nearly even with it up in a high loft within the open warehouse-like complex he had been stuck inside for so long. He couldn't go anywhere until his new boss gave him orders, so he divided his time between exercising, sleeping, eating...and watching for her.

With a pair of light amplification goggles in his hand prepared to zoom in once he spotted movement, he blinked and shook his head briefly, willing away the fatigue in his eyes. As the sun had descended and night had engulfed the mountainous terrain around the complex, the strain on his eyes had eased, but watching one small room hundreds of meters away took its toll on him. At times it had seemed as though he had fallen asleep and dreamed seeing a brief flicker of movement, because by the time he brought the goggles up, the window was empty again and would remain silent for hours. The wait was maddening, but he had to know if the information Dr. Tzymo had collected on her was true. And since he couldn't leave or make any transmissions, the only way he could find out was by keeping vigil.

Behind and below him, a dozen other mercenaries like himself milled around the complex, as bored as he was. Only a few had been there as long as he, and the rest had been sent out on jobs, replaced within hours by another one of Tzymo's thugs. He had never seen any of them leave and return, but knowing the operations Dr. Tzymo arranged, even a minor mission could take months.

Though they harassed him for it, he distanced himself from the others. The less they knew about him the better, and he had absolutely no interest in getting to know any of them, though they knew each other for the most part. They seemed to him the usual criminal riffraff, burly brutes who more often used their blasters as blunt melee weapons in a cantina brawl than for a job. A few that had filtered through seemed intelligent enough to be valuable mercenaries and workable spies, but the vast majority weren't. He was beginning to suspect that even he had stooped too low to work for this Dr. Tzymo, regardless of the fact that the man had one of the most substantial networks of informants in the galaxy.

His mission he was awaiting orders for seemed below him, too. It was humiliating, having to wait so long, and then having to carry out a mission that was far too personal for him. But, he reasoned, he deserved it, especially after having pulled such a daring stunt on his first assignment. Dr. Tzymo had at first seemed...lenient, or perhaps even ignorant of what he had done, but it appeared that he was paying for it now. He was at the doctor's mercy, a place he hadn't wanted to be so early in his career for Tzymo.

Disrupting his thoughts, he heard a pair of heavy boots behind him, walking toward him in the loft. He ignored them, maintaining his focus on the lighted window across the way. His visitor stopped just beside him, but still he paid no attention, which apparently drew the ire of the other.

"Hand over the goggles, new kid," a low, rough voice demanded. Still turned to the window, Horatio rolled his eyes.

"The name's _Horatio_," he answered uninterestedly, "and these are community property. Go find your own."

But the other didn't leave. "Maybe you didn't hear me." Thick, meaty hands suddenly shoved Horatio hard against the transparisteel, holding him there with a great amount of force. He couldn't even muster enough strength to push back, but with the side of his face pressed up hard against the window, Horatio managed to grin.

"Oh, I get it," he laughed, "you're too lazy to go find another pair, so you're just going to bully someone who already has them. Is this some kind of welcoming ritual? Well done, I feel fully initiated now."

The other only shoved him harder into the window, making it crack under the pressure. His shoulders burned in protest under the strain as his arms were folded up at unusual angles under his chest, but he maintained his grin, intent on angering the other further. "Some people might charge you a finder's fee, but I suppose I could be reasonable, this being my first stint here and all. Is this how you people normally operate? I'll make a note to start hiding things so you actually have to get up and look for yourself. That should make this place more interesting."

"You insufferable idiot!" The other gripped Horatio by the shoulders and whipped him around to face him, thrusting him hard against the window again, creating another crack that threatened to break with one last blow. Horatio winced briefly as his head smacked the transparisteel, but he corrected it quickly as he finally saw and stared down his rival, a tall, muscular Weequay who looked as fierce as he sounded - filed, pointed teeth, scarred, rough skin, and intense black eyes.

"You will learn your place here," he warned darkly, and giving Horatio another shove, he ripped the goggles from his hands and turned to leave. Feeling the cracked window behind him beginning to give, Horatio rocked himself forward and had begun to launch himself at the Weequay...but a familiar voice to his right killed his momentum instantly and left him stunned.

"Horatio!"

He turned to her, breathless, unsure if he were actually seeing her or if she were an illusion. Her golden brown hair and amber eyes looked just the same as he had left them, mere weeks ago...

"...Zanti?"

Her expression was just as conflicted as his had to be, and as she stepped toward him, a pang of alarm gripped him, his eyes darting about the loft worriedly. "Zanti, what are you doing here! How'd you--"

"Relax, Horatio," she said calmly as she searched his face. "Tzymo recruited me, too." She paused briefly, glancing at the broken window beside them. "How's your head?"

Still hardly breathing from the shock of seeing her, he lied. "Fine."

Her expression hardened. "Good." Without any warning, Horatio felt the fiery sting of a quick slap across his cheek, whipping his head to the side. Stunned again, he looked back at her in a daze, meeting her furious eyes and a pointed finger in his face. "_That's_ for leaving me on Agamar with those Jedi," she spat, "_and_ for leaving that man, the man _you rescued_ and _I_ _killed Occar_ to protect for you, leaving him to die."

Speechless for once, Horatio swallowed hard, watching her movements warily. She had every right to be angry at him, but...he hadn't expected to encounter her again once he left. He couldn't formulate any kind of response.

With their gazes still locked, she continued in a much softer tone. "And this..." As she spoke, she slowly reached her hand up and placed it at the base of his neck, gently pulling him toward her. Wary of the move, he watched her guardedly, relaxing only after their lips met in a gentle kiss. He felt no other movement from her, but still vigilant for the kind of ploy he had used before, he only gave back slightly. She leaned back from him after a moment, her amber eyes warm again as she continued. "...is for going back."

Frozen in place, he could only blink. Other than Dr. Tzymo who had figured it out, he hadn't told anyone... "How...how did you..."

Zanti gave him a sardonic grin. "Did you really think that you could steal _my_ fighter, and I wouldn't know where it went?"

Feeling dumb for having underestimated her, he looked to the floor, wrestling with everything he had done in the past months. He had thought that once he had joined up with Tzymo's crews, he wouldn't have to face any of it again, but Zanti stood there before him, and he had to find some way to deal with his upcoming mission that once again took him into familiar territory. She seemed to pick up on his struggle, and with her hand still at his neck, she squeezed his tense shoulder.

"Let me guess," she went on quietly, "Tzymo hired you for both the virus and the antidote." He nodded.

"He only got half of the latter."

Zanti smiled thinly. "You are always full of surprises, Horatio."

Sighing resignedly, he shrugged. "I've been told that a lot lately." Still she smiled as she lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his hair, but his wince as she hit a sore spot on his scalp neutralized her expression as she retracted her hand. Bright red blood on her fingertips caught his attention, though, and she looked up at him with concern. He reached a hand to the back of his head to assess the damage, but he only felt one small laceration, and it made him angry.

"It's nothing," he reassured her, though his tone was dark. He didn't want to give the Weequay the satisfaction of knowing he'd injured him, so keen on changing the subject, he looked intently at Zanti. "Do you have work lined up yet?"

She nodded hesitantly. "I'm going to Coruscant with you."

Horatio furrowed his brows. "My mission's not on Coruscant, I'm waiting on word to go back to --"

"Change of plans," she interrupted, and held up a small handheld holoprojector in front of him, pressing a button to materialize a tiny blue figure on its surface.

"Ah, Mr. Sheridan," the holoimage of Dr. Tzymo said as it turned to him. "How are you finding your accommodations? Sufficient, I hope?"

Horatio leveled an annoyed look at the scientist. "Didn't know this was going to be one giant slumber party."

"You had better get used to it," Dr. Tzymo snapped back. "Those people are your colleagues. I advise you to make an effort to befriend them; you never know who will be appointed to you on your next assignment. There are various experts and specialists among my crews, and each one may be better suited for a task than another. I do take suggestions from time to time on team selections, so make yourself familiar with those around you, and you might fare better than you would otherwise."

Resisting the urge to retort with something more scathing, Horatio crossed his arms over his chest. "Suggestion noted, I'll get right on it."

"Actually, you'll be getting to Coruscant as soon as possible," Dr. Tzymo continued. "Your mission still stands; the location is the only aspect that has changed. Ms. Zanti has been briefed, and you two will work in tandem to bring me the target. I'll expect you in my lab within the next three days. Prophet is very eager to meet you."

With the doctor's usual wry grin, the holo faded, and Zanti pocketed the projector.

Horatio's head was spinning. Not only had he been assigned a partner, but one he hadn't expected to see ever again. The change of location completely unraveled all the planning he had done already, so he was having to start from nothing. And with a mere three days to scour the city-planet for the target, he had only the seven hour trip in which to plan. Glancing at Zanti with a concerned expression, he sighed and grabbed a small bag of his minimal belongings from the floor, prepared to leave with her.

* * *

_As the excruciating, mind-numbing pain subsided for the seemingly millionth time since he had been infected, Koril's eyes opened and remained fixated on the dark ceiling above him. Every single nerve within every centimeter of his body mercilessly seared in unbearable agony for minutes on end, with only a brief respite between the attacks. Though he had almost no concept of time anymore, as he hadn't slept at all and was unable to see any natural light or window to gauge the time of day, he figured that surely it had been well over a week since the Huxnel had given him the torturous virus. His only companion, his rescuer Horatio Sheridan, had been silent and motionless for hours, after finishing a transmission with some doctor who had agreed to help. The perplexing double agent had carefully smuggled him out of the Huxnel flagship, but he had at the same time taken him far from the only source of a cure. He idly wondered if the doctor was going to be any match for the sick, twisted, engineered cruelty he had to endure._

_Another attack gripped him, closing his eyes again as his nerves fired relentlessly and robbed him momentarily of his instinct to breathe. He couldn't scream, he couldn't move...he had no outlet for his building anger, trapped within his own mind while the only thing it registered was his intense, savage suffering. No one knew the sheer torture he was being subjected to, and as the deafening silence passed hour after hour, attack after attack, he began to fear that no one would ever find him._

_Was anyone even looking for him? Horatio had sent for help, but how well could he trust an associate of his? Why hadn't Horatio contacted Elena instead, or anyone else on Paneau, for that matter? Did they think him dead? Would they believe him lost to the Huxnel's evil plot to devour his home planet? If it was Horatio who had been his savior, his last hope for escape and survival...had Elena given up on him, no longer deeming him worthy of a rescue?_

_Another series of brutal attacks, another dozen hours spent alone, waiting, wondering, hurting... _

_He could have frozen to death in the lifeless cold of space, and he didn't think he would've felt the difference. His body no longer registered any sensation but the scorching pain the virus unleashed from his outer extremities to his deepest tissues. Would he feel anything ever again? The cool, gentle touch of Elena's hand at his neck, her smooth black hair gracefully gliding through his fingers, her soft, intoxicating lips meeting his... A few more hours, he mused, and he wouldn't even remember what she felt like in his arms. His torture was making quick work of any pleasant memory he had so desperately clung to after realizing his predicament, and eventually, it would force him to let go of everything...even her. _

_Hope wasn't going to get him rescued. Wishing a distress signal sent out to any nearby travelers wasn't going to get their attention. Imagining himself elsewhere wasn't going to block out the intense pain. _

_He was alone, abandoned and forgotten, his self-sacrifice to the Huxnel disregarded by the very people he had endeavored to protect. _

_How thankless of them. They hadn't even attempted an extraction. No less than three Jedi and a planet full of loyal Royal Pilots and Guards could have staged a rescue attempt...but the Jedi escaped without him and left him at the Huxnel's mercy. No message, no effort...no promise of return.  
_

_The angrier he got, the more severely his pain damaged him, but he had finally passed the point of caring, even as the attacks lengthened in duration. The breaks between the attacks shortened, as well, leaving him in almost constant agony. He was rapidly approaching a fracture point, the moment when his mind would shut down and leave him numb and in pieces. What reason did he have to fight back...when no one else, not even Elena, was fighting for him, either?_

_As he heard the sound of the transport's engines whining with the strain of an unregulated atmosphere entry, his own pulse pounded in his ears, though it wasn't the fault of renewed hope. The strain of the increased attacks plagued his system, wreaking havoc with his heart rate while a sudden drop in altitude threatened to stop his heart altogether. The transport made a sudden rough, violent landing, sending him to the hard durasteel floor onto his face, his arms caught in awkward, painful positions underneath his chest..._

Jolted from his memory, Koril made a weak gasp that failed to capture even the attention of a short nurse checking his vitals beside him. He struggled to draw in his next breath, but having completed her task, the nurse turned away, leaving him briefly to report her findings. His movement caught the attention of his Edgepoints at the room's perimeter, though, and two slowly approached him, careful to quiet their footsteps. He closed his eyes briefly to avoid their stares, but paying attention to what he heard just beside his bed, he realized the reason for their caution.

Turning his head to look, he saw Elena sleeping soundly at his side. She was curled up on a reclined chair set up just beside him, her soft breaths gently billowing wisps of her hair that had fallen over her face. Despite everything he had put her through, as she slept she looked peaceful and calm, just as she had during the few months they had spent together in one bed. His guilt multiplied the longer he watched her, but unable to tear his gaze away for some reason, he fixated on her face, amazed that she hadn't left him...

"High Commander?"

With a weak effort, he turned his head to face his Edgepoints, meeting their eyes with his own vacant and devoid of any emotion. Swip and Kress Tael stood beside him, each looking him over with concern. Seeing his expression, though, they were silenced, unsure of what else to say to him. They exchanged uneasy glances between each other, then with defeated faces, they returned to their positions, hanging their heads just slightly.

As sleep once again beckoned him into darkness, he resisted as best he could, trying to work through his feelings. He was so damaged, so fragile and weak, but his friends seemed to see something in him that he himself had blocked out long before they had found him on Agamar. They wanted him back, but he couldn't understand why at all. It didn't make sense.

No longer able to oppose his fatigue, he closed his eyes and gave in, feeling Elena's cool hand grip his tightly as the last whispers of his consciousness faded away once more.


	7. Chapter 7

Despite getting at least several hours of attention from a Jedi Healer and some sleep after, as Mand awoke her head still pounded fiercely. She could tell she was lying on her side, and she groaned as she brought a hand to her forehead. After a brief moment, she felt a strong hand lightly rest against hers, and a cool, peaceful, _familiar_ feeling flowed from it...

Instantly her eyes shot open, and just as she thought, her husband Rech stood beside her with his eyes closed, his hand over hers. Her vision was still blurry from her fall earlier, but she watched him smile as he sensed her awaken, looking down at her before he grasped her hand and gently pulled it from her head.

"We really need to stop meeting like this," he teased quietly, his gaze fixed on hers. Ignoring her headache as she sat up to face him properly, she sensed his good mood and could hardly force her words out.

"...what did the committee say?"

Still Rech smiled as he squeezed her hand, bringing his other arm around her shoulders to support her. She waited anxiously for his answer, holding her breath in anticipation as she searched his face.

"They've assigned me to a healing mission in the Outer Rim with Master Kanomin," he reported, "and when I complete it, I'll retain my rank."

Feeling her eyes well up with tears of relief, she embraced him tightly, overjoyed at the news. She had been afraid that the committee would punish him as they had her, possibly revoking his Knighthood and maybe even his right to carry his saber he had constructed during his training. But his recovery, his turnaround had been so complete that no trace of darkness remained at all. He had moved past his mistake and his weakness after getting her forgiveness when they had been traveling in search of Koril, and they had only deepened their connection over the past few months. He couldn't hide anything from her, even if he wanted to.

"I told you it was going to be okay," he said softly. Though she couldn't see his face, still tightly holding him, she could hear his smile. She kissed him on the side of his face before releasing him and adjusting her posture to sit up in the bed. Suddenly worried, though, her expression fell.

"How long will you be gone?"

Rech shrugged. "A team of Jedi has already been dispatched to the Meridian Sector where a serious war has been raging between two rival factions over territory. The fighting has stopped for the most part, but the negotiations are slow going. Both sides sustained a lot of casualties, and they're quickly running out of resources, food and medicine, for their people. I'll be part of a mercy mission to treat their wounded, so it could be a few weeks, at least."

He brought a hand to her cheek and caressed it, his eyes full of regret. "I have to leave very soon. Are you going to be okay? I don't want to leave you alone, especially right now..."

Despite being apprehensive about it, Mand smiled for him. "I'll be fine, don't worry. I'll keep Veon with me." Rech didn't share her humor.

"I mean it, Mand. Your flashbacks could get worse. I'd ask you to stay with Master Lithess until you get a handle on them, but I know you won't."

Mand frowned. "Once they release me, I'm staying with Elena. Last I heard, Koril wasn't doing well."

His expression didn't change, though his eyes pleaded silently for her to take care of herself first. She would, she answered him with a careful nod; she just had to figure out how. Somehow understanding her hesitance, he lightly brushed her hair from her face as he swept her up into a sweet kiss.

"You'll beat them," he whispered, his face inches from hers, "I'm sure of it. You overcame those visions and your shockwave. Treat these flashbacks no different."

Thankful for his support, she smiled again, embracing him tightly once more before he stepped away with obvious reluctance to leave her. His expression became pained but eventually evened out as he glanced at the door.

"I'll send Veon back in," he told her quietly, then without another word he left quickly, his steps hardly making a sound on the stone floor. The hallway seemed exceptionally quiet, as well, devoid of its usual traffic, and as the door slid shut behind him, a strange feeling took her over.

They hadn't properly said goodbye.

On her feet in an instant, she raced to the door, still sensing him nearby...

As the door slid open before she had even reached it, Veon met her, looking genuinely surprised to see her up and moving. Though she tried to move past him, he gripped her by her shoulders, an uncertain expression on his face as he searched hers.

"Slow down, Mand, are you o--"

"Which way did he go?"

Veon blinked. "Which way did who go?"

What a cruel thing to joke around about, Mand thought. "Rech, he just left," she said as she continued looking down the busy hall for him. Veon didn't release his grip on her, though, still looking at her with concern. "This is a long hallway; you two _had_ to have passed each other."

Still staring at her blankly, Veon seemed hesitant to speak. "Mand...Rech left an hour ago. You were still unconscious."

Mand gave an uneasy laugh, though her expression was rapidly falling. "He was just here, I...I just talked to him..." Feeling lightheaded in her confusion, she brought a hand to her head, which only deepened Veon's concern. He quickly wrapped an arm around her waist to support her, as if anticipating her collapsing again, while he slowly led her to a nearby bench, easing her down onto it as he watched her face.

She couldn't formulate any kind of response. She had been a little out of sorts after her concussion, but she couldn't have imagined their interaction; it felt as real to her as anything. His presence just in front of her was strong as ever, and she had felt his touch...he had to have been there. She wasn't crazy...she _had_ faced off against a brutal beast, and she _had_ talked to her husband...

Interrupting her thoughts, Veon placed the back of his hand against her forehead as he searched her eyes. "Are you feeling okay?" He was crouched in front of her, watching her warily with his other hand on her shoulder. Though still in a daze, she nodded, desperately grasping for some kind of explanation. Physically she felt fine, but was beginning to resign; maybe she _was_ slowly losing her sanity. She needed to focus on something else, something that wouldn't remind her of her memories--

_Another shrill shriek echoed down the hall, reminding her she wasn't alone. She had been completely strapped to a hard table hours ago, yet no one had visited her since. Her captor's dark haze still hung in her mind, barely allowing her such brief, conscious thoughts. She was beyond terrified; was she next in line for what had been done to another subject down the hall? Could she escape? The restraints were tight, but maybe if she --_

"No," Mand groaned as she brought both hands to her head, willing the flashback to stop. She drew on her recently developed technique of containing her destructive Force Shockwave to quell her surfacing memories, using the Force to clear her mind and drive them out of her consciousness. She would again have to put up a barrier, a wall of protection in her thoughts, and though it would drain her, it would be better than collapsing from another vivid memory.

Still watching her with concern, Veon kept a firm grip on her shoulders, but as she looked up at him, she released a long breath, having calmed her frazzled mind. Intent on diverting his attention from her, she righted her expression and straightened her posture. "Where are Ri and Joshua?"

Though Veon remained worried, his face lightened somewhat. "They went to the med center. Ri's been patiently waiting to see the baby."

Mand nodded. "We're going as soon as they let me go."

Sighing, Veon looked hesitant. "They've released you to me as soon as you came around again, but Mand... I really think you should stay. You're not well..."

"I'll be fine," she fired back, though she hadn't meant to sound so angry. She softened her expression, making it as confident as she could for him as she took his hand. "I can suppress the flashbacks. We should go."

"Mand..."

Though he continued to protest, Mand stood, testing her balance while Veon maintained a hand on her back. Feeling strong enough, she smiled at him and grabbed her jacket, tugging it on over her bloodstained shirt as she made her way out of the Jedi Temple's Med Wing.

* * *

"Mand, you need to rest," Veon insisted for the twentieth time, still gripping her upper arm as they navigated the series of streets leading from the Jedi Temple. Another busy crowd swirled around them, making it somewhat difficult for Mand to concentrate. She was still having trouble focusing her eyes properly, intensifying her headache that hadn't eased after her fall, but anxious to leave the Temple after having spent almost two days there, she left under her own power with Veon protesting all the way.

"I'll rest when we get to the med center," she tried to reassure him with a small smile. Again he sighed, struggling to keep up with her as they met an even denser crowd in the Coruscant streets.

Suddenly nervous, Mand slowed her pace, scanning the crowd warily. Something about the people around her unsettled her, though she couldn't pinpoint any one person in particular who was the source. Unsure if she were simply deflecting a flashback that was threatening to surface or if there really was some kind of danger among the crowd, she kept her senses on edge, on the lookout for anyone who may have the intent to harm her, or even Paneau's former king.

Several minutes passed as they continued through the crowd, but the reason for her concern had yet to manifest completely or fade away. She still felt the same amount of alarm as she had before, and it didn't seem to be concentrated in any particular direction; it was as though the Force was warning her of something...but what?

Just up ahead of her, she saw a familiar face that halted her immediately and froze her breath in her chest. No more than a few meters away stood her former partner, Jespir Carrx, more recently known as Horatio Sheridan. He stood motionless in the heavy crowd, his expression dark and his gaze piercing her. Anger and fear quickly welled up within her; she was unarmed, and so was Veon, but she could subdue Horatio by another means, though it would in no way compare to what he had done to her on Agamar...

Tugging at her arm beside her with concern, Veon distracted her briefly, though he said nothing. By the time she returned to where she had seen him, hundreds of people were crossing and moving through the area, and Horatio was no longer there. She blinked repeatedly, sure that her concussion was wreaking havoc with her eyes, but the crowd looked the same as tense moments passed. Had she imagined Horatio, too? He had simply stood there, not moving, not saying anything to her, but surely he would have done _something_. He always had some kind of agenda.

Swallowing dryly, she turned to Veon and released a shaky breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Though he looked to her for an explanation, she shook her head and gave him a weak smile, doing her best to dismiss the alarm she still felt in the back of her mind as she continued on through the streets with him.

Seeing Horatio had to be some kind of projection of the anxiety she felt in the wake of everything that had happened to her since arriving on Coruscant. She hadn't associated him with her flashbacks before, but instead of the experiments done on her during her disappearance, maybe her mind was pulling on memories from an earlier time, back when she had worked with him under the Huxnel. She had spent the better part of her time with him while on missions with the crime syndicate, so he was a prominent figure in those memories. Why her mind had brought him up on Coruscant, where she had been only once with him, she wasn't sure.

The rest of the walk to the med center was uneventful, though Mand was still apprehensive, even as they met the Paneau Royal Guard in the hall. The Guard bowed to Veon respectfully, and still beside him, Mand could see the unease on his face. She put a hand on his shoulder as the Guard righted themselves and allowed them to pass, but they hadn't gotten more than a few steps around a corner when Elena met them with a few aides behind her. She first embraced Veon tightly, then Mand while another pair of guards looked on from the door to Koril's room.

"Rech told me what happened at the Temple," Elena began carefully, looking Mand up and down as she stepped back from her. "Are you okay? Did you ever find out what it was?"

Mand shook her head. "Nobody knows, but I'm okay." She offered her friend a small smile, even though she knew Elena wouldn't be convinced. They knew each other too well.

Elena said nothing more, though, already having to deal with enough on her own. Looking hesitant and concerned, she released a long breath before finding her voice once again. "I need your help, Mand."

"Of course," Mand answered immediately. "What is it?"

Worrying Mand even more, Elena's expression and voice saddened. "I need you to talk to Koril again," she said shakily. "You know exactly what's going through his mind, and it worked before."

Mand furrowed her brows. "Elena, you need to hear from _him_ how he feels, not from me. And he needs to hear _your_ encouragement, _your_ words, not mine."

Shaking her head, Elena looked down. "He won't listen to anything I have to say, I tried. You know what he needs to hear, and it's not encouragement." As Elena looked back up, her eyes were glistening; she knew what she was asking of her friend would be difficult. "You were once brought back after you had given up. Please...he needs someone to tell him the same things."

Feeling her heart wrench at Elena's plea, Mand closed her eyes, releasing a shaky breath herself. Elena was right; she had given up before, too, and not even Rech could counsel her out of her distress. It had taken rough, harsh words from her friend Tascit to bring her around, and now she would have to pass on the same tough statements to Koril. Though she dreaded it, she knew it needed to be done, and as Elena implied, she was the most logical choice.

Looking back up at Elena, she nodded. "Just...let me gather my thoughts." Elena nodded, too, and embraced her tightly again, giving her added strength for her task.

* * *

Hearing the shuffling of boots on the floor beside him, Koril woke slowly, curious about what his nurses were doing to him. Instead of seeing a white uniform, though, he blinked and forced his eyes to focus more, finally recognizing his visitor as his friend Mand. She was pacing beside him with a blank look on her face, but as she saw him waking up, she stopped, meeting his gaze intensely. She remained silent for a few moments, but something about her demeanor kept him from returning to sleep. Her eyes were almost...angry?

"You're going to listen to me," she demanded, "and you're not going to say anything. Do you understand me?"

Dazed, Koril could only nod. What was going on...

"I don't think I ever told you what happened to me during my disappearance," she began. "Well, not exactly, anyway." She pulled a chair up beside him and sat, crossing her arms over her chest as she continued, focused on the wall beside him. Listening intently, he watched her expression closely while she talked.

"When I was fifteen, I was kidnapped in broad daylight from a Coruscant market while Rech and I were out getting the morning groceries. My captor, a Dark Jedi and apprentice of my father's named Tzan Kaeloth, immediately subdued me. I couldn't move, I couldn't scream...all I could do was send Rech images of what I was seeing in hopes of helping him to find me. It was foolish. What were two fifteen-year-olds going to do against such a powerful opponent? The last I would see of Rech for four years was watching him being tortured by Tzan's Force Lightning attack. Everything went black after that, and it would be another year before my thoughts were my own again.

"Though it's starting to come back to me, I don't remember much of anything during those four years. I know now what happened to me, but I wasn't aware of it while I was gone. But that didn't stop me from being completely overwhelmed after I was rescued." She paused, again meeting his gaze. "Four years of my life were gone. _Four years_. You've only known me since all this happened, but Rech and Elena knew me before. Even though I hadn't been conscious of everything that had gone on, I _knew _I was never going to be the same, and it scared me. Suddenly I was nineteen, pregnant, and I thought I was alone. So I left. I ran away."

Releasing her arms, she sat forward, supporting her upper body on her elbows as her expression softened. "I am in no way trying to belittle what you went through. I may have been gone for four years, but I hardly remember any of it. I know you, on the other hand, were aware of what was happening to you. But listen to me..." She leaned forward, her eyes intensifying. "I know what you're thinking. I know what you're afraid of, because I was afraid of the same thing. And I'm here to tell you that you have to get over it."

Koril blinked at the sudden harshness of her tone. She didn't pause long, though, maintaining her train of thought. "It's not going to happen overnight, and it's not going to be easy. Hell, look at me. A year and a half out, and I'm still battling it. You've _changed_, you _might_ be a different person now, and there's nothing you can do about it. You can't undo what happened to you, and you can't ignore it, either. It's just as much a part of you now as your blood, keeping you alive.

"You are never going to be at peace with it. Every day, something will remind you what happened: a smell, a sound...and it'll hurt all over again. You're just going to have to live with it, and you'll have to decide if you're going to let it consume you, or if you're going to find some way to work through it, something or someone to hold on to."

Again pausing briefly, she glanced to the side at his three Edgepoints stationed inside his room. As she returned to him, she leveled an inquisitive gaze at him. "Do you know how many people are waiting to see you, to help you in any way they can?" He slightly shook his head in response, curious as a small smile formed on her face. "More than I had," she continued with a light laugh. Her expression fell, though, as she leaned even closer to him, her eyes deep with understanding. "Koril...not a _single_ person on that planet expects you to be exactly the same when you return home. They _know_ that what you went through was terrible, and that you went through it to protect them. They are only ever going to be grateful to you, nothing else.

"Yeah, you may be a little different from now on. But you are still their High Commander, you are still Koril Rys'tihn, and everyone here still believes in _you_. You're the only one who doesn't. I won't lie; it'll be hard, but I know you can get through it. You owe your fiancée and your son at least an attempt to."

She sighed, standing from her seat. She began to leave, but one last thought stopped her, and she turned back to him with a blank expression once more. "We all made a lot of sacrifices to find you. It would be nice if you made some kind of effort in return." With that, she left, passing his Edgepoints who stood motionless beside the door. He ignored their stares, closing his eyes to return to sleep, though he knew he wouldn't get much.

Mand's words reverberated through his mind, forcing him to process everything over and over. How was he supposed to respond to that? All she had said made sense, but he still lacked the desire to follow her advice. Even though she had been right about his fears, he still didn't believe he was salvageable...

A soft, cool breeze ran the length of his body, easily chilling him in the stale hospital room. He opened his eyes to see where it came from...but was surprised to see his room darkened. He could still see himself, so he hadn't lost his sight, and he could see the room's perimeter, but his Edgepoints were gone. Alarmed, he began to look for any signs of others, a way to get someone's attention...

Before he could move much, though, a silvery figure appeared beside him, materializing as someone he instantly recognized. His former Queen, Tascit Arosc, stood at his side, though he knew she had to be some kind of illusion or hallucination. Still, she smiled warmly at him, looking just as beautiful as he remembered her.

"Hello, Koril," she greeted him tenderly, her voice affectionate and silken. He stared, unsure what he was seeing or how to answer. She had been dead for a year...he had to be imagining her. As she gracefully lifted one of her hands and touched a finger to his forehead, a calming feeling took hold of him, relaxing him instantly.

"Close your eyes," she asked softly. "There's something I want to show you."

Against his better judgment, he obeyed, and he easily drifted off to sleep, immediately meeting her in his dreams.


	8. Chapter 8

Anxious, Elena met Mand outside Koril's door after she stepped out of the room...and almost wasn't fast enough to catch her friend as she sagged to the floor. Just beside them, the two Edgepoints stationed at the door, Daslen and Commander Cal Jax, also quickly helped ease Mand down, giving Elena the chance to assess her.

"I'm...tired," Mand managed to explain breathlessly, but Elena ignored her. She waved over a pair of nurses who knelt beside them, but even as Mand hardly kept herself sitting up against Elena behind her, she waved away their concern. "Just tired," she repeated more forcefully, and though still not convinced, Elena nodded her thanks to the nurses and sent them away.

Also kneeling at her side, Veon offered his help, as well, his face grim with concern.

"I told you, you needed rest, Mand."

"I'm fine," she protested again, but to Elena, it almost sounded as though Mand were still trying to convince herself. Elena fed her friend some energy through the Force, and with Veon's and the Edgepoints' help, she stood with Mand and slowly walked to a bench, supporting her as she lowered herself onto it.

Though she knew next to nothing about medicine or treating ailments, it did seem like Mand was telling the truth as far as she could tell; she simply looked exhausted, as though talking with Koril had completely drained her stamina. Feeling somewhat guilty for it, she remained at Mand's side, holding her hand supportively.

Interpreting the questions on Elena's face, Mand answered them quietly. "I don't know if I got through to him...but I did what I could."

Elena smiled sadly, squeezing her hand. "Thank you. I know it wasn't easy for you. It means a lot to me that you even tried." Though Elena did her best to keep her fatigue out of her expression, Mand easily picked up on it.

"Are you doing okay?"

Releasing a slow breath, Elena nodded. "I'm managing." She had a hard time believing it had already been almost three days since they had arrived on Coruscant, having spent nearly all of it at the med center, never far from Koril. While he was sleeping, she mingled with the Paneau who also kept a vigil in the nearby halls, hoping to raise their spirits as they waited. The crowd had thinned some, though, leaving only those closest to Koril and those sworn to protect him. She much preferred the company remaining, as they all were quickly becoming her close friends, as well. Even though she was still so worried about him, the presence of the Edgepoints and other Royals helped to calm her and remind her that she wasn't alone.

Bringing Elena back from her thoughts, Mand propped herself up on her elbows, apparently having regained her strength. "Elena," she began with worry in her voice, "you haven't slept." Elena could barely restrain herself from rolling her eyes at the irony of it.

"Yes, I have," she answered almost irritatedly. Though quiet, Commander Jax's voice from behind her startled her.

"Minimally," he added dryly, and despite her reproving glance at him, he maintained his concerned expression, making Elena sigh as she returned to Mand.

"I've meditated, I'm fine," she countered, instead leveling an anxious gaze at Mand. "I'm more worried about you. What's used you up so quickly?"

A strange look of apprehension rolled over Mand's face as she glanced at Veon standing behind Elena, but she quickly corrected it as she met Elena's gaze again, her voice hesitant. "Flashbacks. I'm having to...contain them...constantly..."

Feeling even more guilty, Elena hung her head briefly. "Mand, why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have made you go in there if I had known..." But surprising her, Mand gave a small smile in return.

"It's okay, it needed to be done." Elena's expression remained the same, prompting Mand to continue. "I mean it, I'm alright. It's just taking a little more out of me than I anticipated, but I'm keeping them in check. Please, don't worry."

Though still reluctant to, Elena nodded and relaxed, looking over her friend with a light sigh. Again surprising her, Mand smiled after a few silent moments. "How's Derek?"

Elena finally had to smile, too. "He's fine. I sent him with his nannies, Kaydee, and some of the Edgepoints to the apartment to get some much needed rest." Turning back slightly, she glanced at Veon behind her. "Joshua and Ri are there, too, getting a few hours of sleep. You two are more than welcome to go if you need. The Edgepoints took over the living room, I'm told, but there are still plenty of bedrooms. It's very secure now, too. Thanks to the Consulate, the security's been overhauled and patrols have the entire building covered."

As she watched him, Veon nodded tiredly, accepting her offer, but Mand declined, as she expected. After giving her friend a half-amused, half-annoyed grin, Elena stood from her and turned to Commander Jax, who had resumed his post at the door.

"Commander," she addressed him as she approached, "are there Royal Guards available to escort His Highness to the Rys'tihn apartment?"

"Elena," Veon protested instantly, "that's not necessary--"

"Of course, M'lady," Commander Jax answered her. "They will be here in two minutes."

Nodding her thanks, she returned to Veon, smiling warmly at him to help ease his tension. He still seemed uneasy as he lowered his gaze to the floor, though, refusing to look back up even as Elena gently placed a hand on the side of his face.

"Veon," she said kindly, "you are _still_ royalty." He finally met her eyes, though his expression remained the same. Again she smiled, hardly keeping herself from laughing. "And if I'm going to be treated this way, then so are you." His face lightened somewhat, but seeing his posture ease, she stood up on her toes and kissed him gently on the cheek. As she stepped back from him, she dropped her hand to his shoulder, squeezing it softly. "Get some rest."

Before he could answer or even move, the door to Koril's room opened behind them, and Jod Brader stepped out swiftly, almost immediately meeting her gaze. His expression was hard to read, quickening Elena's pulse as she nervously awaited what had brought him from his post inside.

"M'lady," he began with a respectful bow, "...he's asking for you."

Taking another moment to register what he had said, she blinked and took in a breath she had forgotten. Without thinking, she turned to Mand to find her already sitting up on the bench, facing her and smiling. Even Veon looked happier, his eyes sharp and alert. Although cautiously, Elena had to smile, too, as she returned to Jod and followed him back inside, eager but wary at the same time.

* * *

As Jod returned to his post beside the other two Edgepoints, Elena continued on further into the room, taking up her usual seat beside Koril. Looking him over, though, he appeared to be asleep; his eyes were closed, his breathing was slow and rhythmic, but in his lap, both of his hands slowly flexed and released repeatedly. It was the most she had seen him move voluntarily since his rescue, but to her it seemed odd. Was he dreaming...?

While one of his hands was open, she gripped it tightly, curling his fingers around hers as she watched him closely. He stirred and woke with her touch and instantly caught her gaze, forming a small smile on her face. His expression remained tired, though, and almost...confused?

"Hey," he breathed hoarsely, his eyes still firmly locked on hers. Despite being worried about how weak he sounded, her smile broadened, feeling a different kind of change in him. His mind seemed clearer, and his feelings seemed to be more hopeful.

"Hi," she returned happily, squeezing his hand as she felt his fingers tighten around her palm. He still looked confused, though what about, she wasn't sure. When he said nothing more in response, she spoke instead. "Are you feeling okay?"

With his brows furrowed in uncertainty, he remained silent for several moments, heightening Elena's concern as she waited. She leaned closer to him, her breath frozen in her chest as he finally spoke.

"...I don't know."

Confused herself, Elena looked up at the monitors behind his head, but none of the readings seemed to be out of his normal range, and none of the alarms were sounding. Even more worried, Elena returned to him and lightly brushed her fingers across his cheek, her voice soft. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Again, he struggled to formulate a response. His lips moved as though he were about to speak, but as if he couldn't form the right words, he stopped. Troubled by his hesitation, she squeezed his hand again, hoping to coax an answer from him. "...Koril?"

For the first time since he had woken up, his gaze drifted to the side and focused elsewhere. His words were quiet and distant, as though even he didn't believe them. "She...was here...in the room with me...then she was in my dream..."

Elena blinked. Mand had just talked to him... Had she instead done more damage to his fragile mind rather than help him come around?

But Koril continued, surprising her with an element she had least expected.

"It was the Queen...Queen Tascit..."

Stunned, Elena was sure her expression looked just as dumbfounded as his. Once her initial shock wore off, she smiled and let her head fall forward in relief, glad that was all that worried him. She knew what was fueling his apprehension.

"It's okay," she said as she lifted her head to smile at him, clarifying gently. "When most Jedi die, they become one with the Force. But some are able to stick around, at least for a little while longer. You _did_ see her," she assured him softly, again lightly tracing his cheek with her fingers. "She must be especially worried about you. What did she say to you?"

Looking much more relaxed after her explanation, he closed his eyes briefly, reacting to her touch. He didn't move, though, and his expression remained the same, so unsure of whether he enjoyed it or if he was again trying to reject her, she retracted her hand while awaiting his answer.

"She didn't say much," he replied with a twinge of sadness in his voice, "just that she had something to show me." Raising his gaze to meet hers again, his expression, as well as his voice, seemed confused once more. "I think...I think she showed me...the future."

Curious, Elena sat forward, still clasping his hand and hanging on every word as he continued quietly.

"We were inside a ship, and...there were seven children running around within it. Three of them were older; two girls and a boy looked to be around nine, ten years old. The boy had brown hair...and _bright_ green eyes. One of the girls had fire red hair, almost orange, and gray eyes. The other girl, though, had hazel eyes and _pure_ white hair...whiter than the snow on Hoth."

Elena smiled, feeling her heart flutter with excitement at the seemingly good state of his mental faculties. They had only visited her home planet once before, and she was sure that it had been the first and only time he had traveled there. His memories were still intact, and he had brought one up in passing, feeding her hopes that he had a good chance of recovering well.

His description of the children piqued her interest, as well. The girl with red hair had to be Cordira Natiyr, the daughter of her best friends, and the boy could be her and Koril's son Derek. But what of the second girl with white hair, and the rest he hadn't yet mentioned?

"The other four were considerably younger," he continued, "maybe four or five. Two brown-haired, brown-eyed girls had to be identical twins. Another girl had dark brown hair and brown eyes, and the youngest, a boy, had the blackest hair and deep green eyes.

"They were all just...playing... Not a care in the galaxy. They were so...innocent...beautiful..." As he trailed off, Elena had to turn her head to blink away tears, moved by his words that were so very different from what he had last said to her, but he gently tugged at her hand to bring her back to him. Locking gazes with him again, she released a shaky breath as he went on, confirming what she had already realized.

"Elena... I think they're our children."

She smiled as she nodded. "Well," she amended, "not all of them." He understood what she meant.

"Cordira," he answered, and again, she nodded. Without another question, he turned his head from her, staring ahead as he mulled over his thoughts.

Elena had to process her thoughts, as well, nearly overwhelmed with emotion at seeing his change of heart. His voice had even gotten stronger as he had narrated his dream to her, and though she knew he still had a long way to go, she couldn't help but think that the worst was behind them. Both Mand's and Tascit's efforts seemed to have paid off; he was recovering.

Returning his gaze to her, a conflicted look rolled over his face, neutralizing hers. Something was still bothering him...

"Why didn't you leave me?"

Elena's heart sank at his question, scared she was losing him again. Did he still not believe himself worthy of the life he had before? Swallowing dryly, she thought carefully for a moment, almost afraid to hear his response.

"...do you think you did something deserving of me leaving you?"

He didn't even pause to consider his answer.

"I left you first."

It took her a few moments to realize what he meant: his decision to trade himself to the Huxnel for his Ghost Heir twin sister. His self-sacrifice earned him four months of torture and kept him away from Elena as she neared the later stages of her pregnancy with their son. But over those four months, she had never once gotten angry at him for his choice, nor had she resented him for not being with her. As she answered him, her expression softened into loving compassion.

"Koril, it was your duty, and I fully understand and respect that. I didn't want you to go, but I knew you had to. So listen to me," she asked as she leaned closer to him, her eyes intense. "We found you, we're together now, and that's all that matters."

"But I--"

"Koril," she interrupted quietly, shaking her head. "It will take a lot more than this to make me leave you."

Though her response only seemed to upset him more, he closed his eyes, releasing a shaky breath. She felt his hand tighten around hers again, and as she felt tears returning to her eyes, he looked back up at her, his own misty and sorrowful.

"I'm sorry for hurting you."

Elena smiled, shaking her head once more to dismiss his apology. She knew he still had to be there somewhere, covered up by the pain and trauma he had gone through. If only he were strong enough to talk through his experience so she could better understand...but she wouldn't subject him to that just yet. He was delicate enough as it was, and she wanted to keep him as long as she could.

Though she knew she was taking a risk, she reached her hand up to his face, watching his expression carefully as she lightly brushed her fingers over his cheek. He again closed his eyes with her touch, taking in a slow breath as she cupped her hand against his jaw. She had almost decided to drop her hand, but before she could, she released a shaky breath of her own as he turned his head into her palm, his cold, bony cheek fitting perfectly in it.

Feeling their connection slowly returning, tears flowed from her eyes freely, overjoyed at the renewal of his spirit. He may not have been conscious of it, but together they were reforging the bond they had shared before he had been taken away, and she could only restrain herself so much from intensifying it. She felt as though she could've permanently connected their minds, much like her friends Rech and Mand had, but still wary of his fragility, she withheld it. Though she found her legs suddenly unstable, she stood from her seat and leaned over him, gently kissing him on the forehead. Before she had lifted from him, she heard his quiet voice earnestly pleading to her, melting her heart even more.

"Don't leave me."

Smiling as she lightly rested her forehead against his, she answered just as quietly.

"I won't."

* * *

Though it hadn't been long since Veon had left with a handful of Royal Guards for the Rys'tihn apartment or since Elena had gone back inside the hospital room to Koril, Mand couldn't shake a strange restlessness that itched in her mind. She was keeping her flashbacks well at bay, but something else was eating at her. Unsure of how to counter it, she stood from the bench she had been sitting on and began pacing the hallway, curious if she were simply tired of having been in the same spot for half a standard hour.

But the hallway offered little comfort, instead only intensifying her desire to...leave? She didn't fully understand what she was feeling, but after a quick glance at the door to Koril's room, she was sure her friends wouldn't miss her for a few minutes. Anxious to get outside to some fresh air, she continued on down the hall to the turbolift, passing the few remaining Paneau and Royal Guards stationed nearby.

Once outside the busy medical complex, she found a small park only a few hundred meters from the main doors, full of beautiful blooming plants and flowers, and surprisingly, the area was mostly vacant. The plants represented only a small sampling of life from the surrounding systems, and though she thought the vividly colored flowers soothing and picturesque, her uneasiness remained. It was as though someone were calling to her...but who?

Still wandering the grounds, she came upon a darkened alley that extended deep into the skeleton-like decay of an older sector of the city-planet. It, too, was vacant, but she felt mysteriously drawn into its depths the closer she went. Was somebody she knew calling for her help? Or was she being lured into a trap?

She wasn't armed at all. No lightsaber, no blaster...the Force was her only weapon. She felt empowered by it, though, and perhaps made overconfident by it, she entered the alley, extremely curious about what had brought her there. In her right mind, she wouldn't have dared to follow the call, but somehow it lowered her defenses. Something about it was familiar, almost calming...

Only a dozen steps down the alley, she spotted a human figure ahead, standing in the middle of the street as though waiting for her. It had a masculine outline, and as she got closer, she realized it was a _very_ familiar silhouette. Finally reaching him, she could hardly control her anger, leveling an intensely dark glare at him.

_Horatio._

He returned her scathing glare, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, Mand released a powerful, rage-fueled Force Push on him, launching him backward, far down the alley. He landed hard on his back, sliding another few meters on decades old filth. Before he could even recover, she was already standing over him, prepared to level another attack on him.

His eyes were still dark, even though he made no effort to escape her. She would have expected more of a fight out of him, especially since he already knew her capabilities. What did he think she would do, after he had humiliated her and nearly killed her friend? Still powered by anger, she wrapped an invisible grip around his throat and began lifting him into the air from the floor, preparing to throw him again...

But a familiar snort broke her concentration, landing Horatio on the ground in front of her in a heap. He coughed with difficulty, but he quickly recovered and stood, massaging his throat as he watched her step back...

The beast that had attacked her in the Jedi Temple was striding up from the darkness behind Horatio, flicking its spiked tail back and forth in warning. She stared at it wide eyed, her muscles tense and her senses on edge, but she was unprepared for another blow Horatio dealt her.

"I see you two have already met," Horatio said roughly, glancing calmly behind himself at the beast that dwarfed him and breathed menacingly over his shoulder. "Mand Natiyr, meet Prophet."


	9. Chapter 9

Though frozen in place, Mand could hardly contain her anger, her eyes furious as she glared at Horatio and kept a wary eye on the enormous beast behind him.

"How _dare_ you show your face here, after what you did to me _and _to Koril. With all the people you've crossed, it's a miracle you made it here alive, a fact I would love to remedy..."

Undaunted, Horatio held his hands up in warning. "You probably shouldn't attack me again," he said with a sarcastic air. "Prophet here wouldn't take too kindly to it."

"Yeah, hide behind your beast like the coward you are," Mand bit back. "You come to watch it finish me off?"

Even though he tried to maintain his expression, Mand could easily see regret saturating his features, most notably in his eyes, and it confused her. He was standing before her with an atrocious monster at his command and no witnesses for kilometers...but he still harbored feelings for her and struggled to conceal them?

His voice was quiet, but not quiet enough to hide the care in his tone. "She wasn't supposed to hurt you."

Whether she was more baffled by Horatio's concern or by the fact that he had identified the vicious beast as _female_, she wasn't sure. Still angry at him, though, she continued to fight.

"So, what, she was just _playing_ when she stabbed me with that tail _twice_?"

Horatio crossed his arms over his chest and leveled an irritated look at her. "Sometimes she gets a little overeager." Behind him, Prophet snorted forcefully at his statement, rocking him forward noticeably. With one eyebrow arched, he gave the beast a warning glance before returning to Mand. "I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen again, unless you do something to merit it."

A terrible sickening feeling gripped Mand as she realized what his words meant. Just as he had held sway over her in the hallway back on Agamar, where he had so easily lowered her defenses and could have ended her life with an injection of poison instead of a simple sedative, she was once again at his mercy. One word from him, and Prophet would tear her to pieces within the span of two seconds, before she could even try to fight back. Losing the confidence she had entered the alley with earlier, she looked at Horatio, unable to mask her apprehension.

"What do you want with me?"

Horatio quickly shook his head. "I'm not the one who wants you. Someone else is very interested in the memories locked up in your head."

Mand blinked. Memories of what? Why would anyone want to know her memories? _She _didn't even want to know them...

"You're coming with Prophet and me," Horatio continued in a low voice. "You have no choice. If you pull any kind of stunt, if you try to escape, I can only restrain Prophet so much. You know how quick and how strong she is. Using the Force on her only makes her angrier, if you hadn't noticed, so...I suggest you don't try anything."

Staring in disbelief, Mand felt her entire body going numb. Not since her abduction more than five years ago had she felt so helpless, only this time, she had willingly walked into the trap. And unlike the last time she had faced such an inescapable situation, she would have no one coming after her; no one knew she had left. Casting a sad gaze back at the busy, towering med center behind her, she sighed, but Horatio was quick to add another warning.

"And don't even think about calling your Jedi friends for help. Prophet'll hear it, and that'll make her angry, too."

Already mentally exhausted, she had finally resigned to his demands. Keeping up the appearance that she was still fighting, though, she turned a dark gaze on him. His face was surprisingly troubled, as though he regretted what he was having to do, but he corrected it quickly as she looked to him. Their gazes locked for several long, silent moments, and she was only able to hold her expression until he spoke once more.

"He only wants information, Kil," Horatio said with a foreign softness in his voice. "That's all. This doesn't have to be an ordeal."

Exasperation flooded her tone. "_What_ information?"

Again, Horatio shook his head. "That I don't know. I'm just the mercenary."

"Right," Mand answered darkly, "you just get paid. Doesn't matter what you do, who you lie to, or who you kill."

Horatio's eyes suddenly intensified, as if she had struck an old wound. "If I recall, you were right there alongside me for four years, showing _me_ how it was done."

"And I _left_ that life," she spat back, "but it's you who keeps coming back to me. You've crossed my path way too many times recently for them to be coincidences."

Though extremely subtly, she could tell that her words had taken him by surprise, but he worked to maintain his shadowy expression and intense gaze. Once more, their eyes met in the tense silence, and again, he broke it, drawing a blaster from a holster at his side and leveling it at her head.

"Get moving," he demanded harshly. "Dr. Tzymo's expecting us."

* * *

It had taken them less than ten minutes to get back to their transport hidden in the lower levels of the sector, but Horatio dreaded the five-hour trip they faced, traveling close to the surface to the opposite side of the city-planet to Dr. Tzymo's lab. He had gotten Mand to surrender quickly, more quickly than he had anticipated, but he remained wary of her. She seemed especially volatile, and he honestly couldn't blame her. He would've been unsettled, too, if he had met Prophet the way she had: a sudden hand-to-claw deathmatch. He had only just met the beast himself, but under controlled conditions with Dr. Tzymo, the creature's creator. Prophet seemed to understand her assignment to him, and so far she had proven her advanced sentience. He wasn't ready to pass judgment on her just yet, though. They still had a considerable amount of their mission left.

Though Prophet had been restrained in the rear cabin, Horatio stood in the main hold beside Mand, watching her closely. She hadn't moved much since they had left, sitting on a cargo container with her arms crossed over her chest and a blank look on her face. The ship's cockpit was closed, preventing her from seeing its pilot, though he wondered if she would have cared. It had been a long time since he had seen her so defeated...

No, not that long, he corrected himself. He had just bested her a few weeks ago on Agamar, and though he regretted it, he had to. She wouldn't have understood.

Still, her silence as they traveled bothered him; she had given up too easily. He kept his voice low, watching her carefully.

"Don't act like you didn't know you had this coming."

The look on her face as she turned to him was hard to read. It was confused, surprised, betrayed... "I have _no_ idea what you're talking about," she answered sadly, her eyes tired. Though sure he was overstepping his authority to tell her, he continued.

"Last time your friend, the exiled king, was on Coruscant, he accepted help from Dr. Tzymo. In exchange for stopping a bounty hunter that was after him, he was supposed to hand you over."

In an instant, Mand was standing just in front of him, her expression hard as she searched his eyes. Even though he knew it would be useless against her, his hand automatically floated over his blaster at his side as she held his gaze for a long silent moment. Her eyes narrowed suddenly as she spoke.

"I don't believe you. You're lying. He wouldn't do that to me."

Horatio arched his eyebrows. "Do you think I would be anywhere near you right now if I didn't have to be? I'm not exactly enjoying this."

"Really," Mand challenged. "I figured you'd jump at the chance to humiliate me again."

"Your friend is to blame, not me. Pretend I'm not even here."

Though her expression softened, her tone was hard as she turned from him, crossing her arms again. "Too late for that."

As he watched her step further away from him, a strange feeling took hold of him, as though he were angry that she wouldn't release him of the fault for her situation. He didn't understand it himself, even as the words left his mouth.

"It wasn't personal, Kil. Get over it."

She turned back to him, her eyes furious. "You _made_ it personal when you took off with Koril's antidote! And why? Why go through all that trouble, just to let him die?"

Horatio's expression darkened. "You don't know what I did."

Mand scoffed. "It was pretty obvious. Why sedate me if you weren't intent on doing harm?"

He hesitated, deciding the best way to word his answer. "I had to make sure you wouldn't follow me."

"Because you knew I'd stop you."

As their gazes locked again, Horatio was only barely able to stop himself from correcting her. Instead, he gave in, nodding though he had a completely different motivation for subduing her. "Yeah...that's why."

Though Mand looked as though she still didn't believe him and was about to counter, she cried out in pain, doubling over as she wrapped her arms across her stomach. She quickly fell to her knees and eventually the floor, and as Horatio wrenched himself out of his stupor, he knelt beside her, surprised to see blood saturating her clothes at her waist. She was rapidly losing color in her face, and even as she continued to moan in pain, her body stilled.

"What, I...they...they healed me...they said..."

Realization neutralized Horatio's expression, and unfolding her limp arms from her stomach, he spotted the culprits: two round, penetrating wounds were quickly draining her body. As she finally fell unconscious, Horatio pressed his palm against the wounds, hoping to at least keep her alive until they reached Tzymo Labs.

"Prophet!!" he yelled toward the rear cabin. "Knock it off, you're going to kill her!"

From behind the sealed blast door, Prophet roared angrily, then silenced with two rough grunts. Mand still continued to bleed, though, making Horatio panic. He pressed harder, and was only briefly distracted by his comlink beeping in his pocket. Fumbling for it, he depressed the activator before he had even pulled it out.

"--at Dr. Tzymo said," Zanti's voice sounded from the small communicator, "he didn't want her able to identify his secondary compound. Don't get mad at Prophet for following orders."

"I don't think Prophet was supposed to make her bleed to death," he answered shortly, still compressing Mand's wounds as he glanced up at the cockpit door, behind which Zanti sat at the controls. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't part of the mission objectives."

"But she needed to be sedated, and you already made your move a few weeks ago. Prophet had the element of surprise."

Yeah, he thought to himself, especially when the beast could continue to weaken its previously injured prey without even being in the same room. That was a special trick Dr. Tzymo had specifically altered Prophet for. Sighing angrily, he finished with her.

"Just get us to the base quickly, or there'll be a bigger mess to clean up."

Pocketing the comlink, he returned his attention to Mand, looking to make sure she was still breathing. Her chest rose and fell shallowly, but content for the time being, he gently pulled her into his lap to keep her warm, maintaining firm pressure on her stomach to control her bleeding.

* * *

Having caught a decent nap herself, Elena woke up at Koril's side, surprised to see him awake and looking across the room. Tugging her hair behind her as she sat up more fully and made herself more alert, she saw all but two of the nine Edgepoints lined up along the far wall, looking at them intently. She smiled at them, garnering returned smiles and a few waves from them as Commander Cal Jax approached and bowed.

"Good morning, High Commander, m'lady," he greeted them. "We're about to resume our regular shifts. Is there anything we can do for you?"

Elena glanced at Koril, and as he shook his head, she looked back at Commander Jax. "Not right now, Commander. Are your men well-rested?"

Jax smiled. "Yes, m'lady. Thank you again for your hospitality. We brought your son and your other guests back with us, too. They're waiting just outside."

Though Elena smiled as she returned to Koril, his expression hadn't changed. A little saddened, she reached up a hand to his cheek, stroking it lightly before turning to Jax once more. "You Edgepoints are more than welcome to continue using the apartment as needed while we're here, Commander. And please, for goodness' sake, there are _beds_. No more sleeping on the floor."

Jax laughed, glancing back at the others who also chuckled amongst each other. He nodded and bowed to her and Koril again, stepping back to assign three of the Edgepoints to stay and leaving with the rest for another post. As she watched them leave, she was able to catch Captain Aurin Jax's gaze outside the door and wave him in with Derek and his two nannies. After giving Koril a quick kiss on the cheek, she stood and walked over to the two women, anxious to see her son.

"He'll be hungry soon, m'lady," Kollie said as she gently passed the infant into Elena's arms, settling his blanket around him. "He ate before we came, but that was almost an hour ago."

Rocking Derek in her arms, Elena nodded kindly to her, dismissing them. "We can fix that easily," she said sweetly to him, smiling down at her son as he looked up at her, his brilliant green eyes glowing even in the room's dim light. She returned to her seat beside Koril, watching his eyes as he followed her with Derek. He looked on the infant with interest, but he still said nothing, concerning her. Securing Derek in one arm, she grasped Koril's hand tightly, searching his eyes to get a response from him.

Finally finding his voice, Koril coughed weakly before speaking, clearing his rough throat. "How old is he now?"

Briefly stumped, Elena had to think. "Not quite three weeks." She could instantly tell that her answer had only distressed him more, making her frown. She squeezed his hand, softening her expression. "Koril, I promise you... You haven't missed much." She smiled faintly as she continued. "...unless you really want to be sad about missing the constant crying, feedings, changings..."

"He's quiet now."

She laughed quietly. "Just you wait." She again watched him looking over his son, and _finally _she saw the longing in his eyes she had been waiting to see since Derek's birth. Hardly able to keep the excitement out of her voice, she asked him softly. "Do you want to hold him?"

Koril immediately met her gaze, seemingly surprised by her question as if he hadn't considered it at all. He hesitated a long moment, his expression worried. "I'm...I'm not strong enough." But Elena quickly shook her head, smiling again.

"It's okay, I can help you. Here," she said as she stood from her seat, reaching across him to pull his far arm over his stomach. "Can you hold your arm there?" Getting a small nod from him, she resituated Derek in her hands and gently lowered him into Koril's arm, keeping both steady. With her free hand, she brought Koril's other arm up, lightly placing his hand just beside Derek's small head.

Stirred by the movement, Derek's eyes followed their hands, but he eventually fixed his gaze on Koril, looking up at his father curiously. He was still much too young to be making complex expressions, Elena knew, but she could sense his feelings. The longer he studied Koril's face, the more comfortable he became, almost as though he recognized Koril's presence and felt safe enough with him to fall back to sleep.

Koril's expression wasn't what she had hoped to see, though. He still looked worried and sad, and unsure of how else to help him, she leaned over him and kissed him lightly at his temple. Still with one hand supporting his arm holding Derek, she brushed her fingers through his hair, watching him patiently. Though it was several minutes, he spoke once more.

"Doesn't seem real."

Gently resting her head against his, she whispered back. "What doesn't?"

His voice sounded pained. "That I'm a father...that I...we...have a son. I was excited before I..." he trailed off, but she knew what he was thinking. "Now," he continued even more quietly, "...I'm scared."

Moved with sympathy, she again kissed the side of his face, caressing his cheek. Just like before, he closed his eyes with her touch, looking back up at her as she responded softly. "Don't be. You'll get better." With a smile, she repeated the same words he had once said to her months ago. "And we're going to do this together. I'm not going anywhere."

Though Koril seemed to weakly laugh at her reference, his expression changed little, prompting Elena to continue working to improve his mood. With her free hand, she gently ran a finger down the side of Derek's face, waking him up from his nap to briefly look at her. She smiled at him, but his eyes quickly returned to Koril, seemingly mesmerized by him. The two simply gazed at each other for several quiet moments, and not until Derek freed his little arm from his blankets did Koril move. The boy extended his arm toward Koril, as if asking for his hand, and only barely able to lift it, Koril tucked a finger into Derek's palm, releasing a shaky breath as his tiny fingers tightly wrapped around his.

All the pain, all the waiting, all the anxiety of the past four months disappeared as Elena watched a smile slowly form on Koril's face. She felt chilled tears rolling down her cheeks, and for a brief moment, she felt happier than she could recently remember...

"Elena," Koril's weak voice interrupted her thoughts, and she immediately realized the reason. She felt Koril's arms beginning to sag with fatigue, and glancing up at him as she scooped Derek back up into her arms, she saw Koril close his eyes. Settling their son against her, she smiled wanly and brushed her fingers over Koril's cheek.

"It's okay, I know you're tired. Sleep, get your strength back. You'll be walking out of this med center in no time."

Though she wasn't sure how much of her assurances he had heard before he fell asleep, she at least took comfort in his elevated spirits. He had finally connected with his son, and as much trauma that he had to recover from, she was amazed at how quickly he was turning around. His talk with Mand and with Tascit's Force Ghost had been instrumental in his change, and she was going to be forever grateful to both.

Content with his slumber and the monitors behind him, she gently rocked Derek in her arms, stepping out of the room only when she knew he was deeply asleep once more. Just outside, a dozen people stepped toward her, including Veon Banarecc and his daughter Ri. Elena smiled at them all, but it fell quickly as she realized she didn't see her friend Mand among them. Veon immediately picked up on her concern and approached her more closely, holding Ri's hand at his side.

"Is everything alright?"

Elena made one last sweep over the crowd before she returned to him, her expression light but still troubled. "Did Mand go with you to the apartment?"

Veon shook his head. "No, she was still here when I left. She wouldn't come with me." He, too, looked through the crowd of people, even checking the bench she had been laying on while recovering from her brief exhaustion. Getting curious looks from the Paneau, she turned to them and spoke to them all.

"Have any of you seen my friend Mand Natiyr? Does anyone know where she's gone?"

The Paneau looked between each other blankly, and Elena got all negative responses back from them. She tried to contain her anxiety, and though she wasn't very successful, Veon's hand on her shoulder calmed her somewhat.

"Maybe she returned to the Jedi Temple? I wished she hadn't left in the first place."

Nodding, Elena tucked Derek's blankets securely around him, desperate to quell her apprehension for his sake. Thankfully, he remained asleep, but looking to Kollie and Raen, she decided it best to leave him with his nannies while she set out to begin a number of transmissions to hopefully find her friend.


	10. Chapter 10

The return to consciousness was as painful as she had left it. She still felt the two wounds in her stomach, but thankfully the terrible burning sensation that had so quickly incapacitated her before was gone. Left behind was the sharp, penetrating pain that she remembered first experiencing just after Prophet had stabbed her with her spiked tail. Either pain was unbearable, and it seemed to have paralyzed her again. Or...had it?

"Greetings, Mrs. Natiyr," a cold voice said beside her. She didn't recognize it, and after struggling to open her eyes, she looked up at a spiky blond-haired man with sharp, bony features. His eyes were flat and expressionless, as though they were immune to emotion. While she began watching him, he filled a hypodermic injector with a pale green liquid, and just as he finished, she realized why she couldn't move: she was strapped to the table at her wrists, ankles, and waist.

"Pleasure to finally meet you," he continued plainly, looking down at her with a blank face. "But I'm sure the pleasure is all mine. Do you know who I am?"

Still recovering and still in pain, Mand could hardly think, much less answer him. Instead, he went on without her response.

"I'm Dr. Jack Tzymo. I was one of your father's most dangerous enemies. But don't worry; I loathed him as much as you did. He's gone, thanks to you, and I've put that enmity far behind me. All I want from you is information on what he did to you, the experiments his scientists so systematically carried out on you and the forty others."

Mand stared at him blankly, unsure of how to react. "I...don't remember anything."

Dr. Tzymo looked undeterred. "Of course you do. You've been having vivid flashbacks in the past few days, have you not?"

Her expression was answer enough, bringing a strange grin to Dr. Tzymo's face. "All thanks to a substance I placed on Prophet's tail. When she wounded you, it entered your bloodstream and began forcing your mind into a frenzy, trying to uncover those memories. They surfaced in the form of haphazard flashbacks, which I'm told had an incapacitating effect on you. Since your mind hadn't tried to process them before, they halted your other thoughts and forced you to relive them." He brought the injector to her arm and pressed it under her skin, pushing its contents into her. It burned as it spread up her arm, and as it reached the rest of her body, it stole her breath, momentarily immobilizing her. "This," Dr. Tzymo continued, "will keep you lucid enough to tell me what you're seeing. It will induce more memories, and you'll notice more details, as well. I will guide you through what you remember, so hopefully I won't have to keep you here very long to find out what I want to know."

Mand could only blink. She was being subjected to _more_ experimentation...to share what had been done to her years ago? A body-wide tremor took hold of her, and though she tried, she couldn't subdue it. Was it her fear taking over her, or was whatever concoction Dr. Tzymo had just given her wreaking havoc on her system? She was already weakened enough, and not just because of her flashbacks...

Though Dr. Tzymo's voice had been calm, she could sense a deeper malice under his tone, worrying her even more. His motives weren't entirely plain; she could tell he was withholding more, and if he had been an adversary of her father's, he had to be dangerously intelligent, resourceful, powerful...

Mand was only conscious for a few more moments, and despite trying to fight it, an overwhelming recollection threw her back into the days she spent under the Dark Lord Tzan Kaeloth's control, sealing out her present thoughts and locking her inside her fifteen-year-old terrified mind.

* * *

"No, dear, we haven't heard from her at all," Untra Natiyr's worried voice filtered in over the _Celestia_'s comm system. Elena had first contacted the Jedi Temple in search of Mand, but they hadn't seen her, either. Rech's parents were the next place she expected her friend to go. If she wasn't there, either, Elena was running out of ideas.

"Please let me know immediately if she does contact you or if you see her, Mrs. Natiyr," Elena continued cordially. "She might be a little confused. She's had a rough few weeks, like we all have, and it's taken its toll on her."

Rech's mother sounded sad, even though Elena had tried to keep specific details out of Mand's condition out of what she told her. "Yes yes, I'll let you know. Please, is there anything Kahl and I can do to help?"

Glad to have only reached her with audio and not a holo feed, Elena winced, regretting having to deny the Natiyrs the chance to aid in the search for their daughter-in-law. "I'm afraid not, at least, not right now. Once we get more information, we can more readily get others involved. I'm hoping this doesn't become a repeat of six years ago..." Sighing lightly, she finished, anxious to begin the search. "I'll keep you informed, Mrs. Natiyr. Take care."

Switching the comm off, she paused only briefly to consider a thought that had crossed her mind while talking with Untra. _A repeat of six years ago..._ While Mand was talking with Koril earlier, Veon had told Elena of the difficulty she had faced in the past few days with recurring flashbacks. He said they had even been real enough to her that she physically felt the pain she had suffered in the past. If her memories were strong enough to incapacitate her so easily...what was stopping them from taking over her consciousness entirely? Would she return to the places she had suddenly remembered, either out of habit or out of curiosity?

But how would Elena know where Mand could have gone? Any information about her disappearance, where she had been experimented on during the four years she was gone, who had been behind the experiments, had all died with Jedi Master Aalon Noor months ago. And Mand herself had felled her father, who had financially supported the illegal project, leaving her and her daughter Cordira as the sole surviving witnesses to what had been done. At least, she hoped they were the only ones left... Anyone else still alive that had been connected to the experiments might fear exposure were Mand to remember even the slightest details: a face, a name, the sound of someone's voice...

Even though her murderous, treacherous father and his dark apprentices had all been killed or incarcerated, someone could still be out there hunting for Mand, and they may have just capitalized on her current weakened state.

Returning quickly to the med center with Kaydee at her heels, Elena made her way through the crowd of Paneau that had grown in the hour or so she had been gone. She smiled at them all politely as they bowed to her while she passed by, and thankful they hadn't accosted her with questions, she proceeded on into Koril's room, inviting Veon and Brent Jax in with her.

The Edgepoints inside saluted the three as they entered, relaxing only after Elena took her seat beside Koril's bed. She gently picked up Koril's hand, looking to the nurse tending to him for an update.

"Vitals are stable," she reported quietly, then concluded with a smile. "He's just sleeping."

Nodding to dismiss the nurse, Elena returned her attention to Koril, lightly squeezing his hand as she brushed her fingers over his cheek to slowly bring him out of his slumber. Though otherwise still, he drew in a long, deep breath, but he finally awoke as his eyes fluttered open and immediately focused on her, ignoring Veon and Brent beside her. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and she returned it as she rested her hand at the base of his neck, softly running her thumb along his jaw.

"Hey," he breathed, still only looking at her. She studied his face as she spoke.

"How are you feeling?"

He seemed to honestly consider her question, glancing aside in thought before returning to her. "The same," he answered sadly, "tired." Though she tried to maintain her smile for him, worry quickly dissolved it. Finally noticing the other two beside her with similar expressions, Koril looked back to her with concern. "What is it?" As his eyes scanned the room, he became even more upset. "Where's Derek? Is he okay--"

"Koril, he's fine," Elena reassured him quickly as she gently turned his head to her with her palm at his jaw. "He's fine. He's sleeping just outside in the hall. Kollie and Raen are taking good care of him, I promise."

Again Koril glanced at Veon and Brent, worry still in his eyes. "Then what's wrong?"

Releasing a slow breath, Elena hesitated, briefly unsure if she wanted to trouble him. His earnest concern forced her decision, though, and she answered softly. "It's Mand, she's gone. After she talked with you, she just left...didn't say anything to anyone outside, didn't leave a message, nothing, and no one knows where she's gone. I've tried all the places I could think of, but none of them have seen her, either. I'm worried something may have happened to her. Since that animal attacked her in the Jedi Temple a few days ago, she hasn't been herself. She's been having trouble with flashbacks to her disappearance, and Veon said one even made her black out." Sighing sadly, she quieted her voice even more. "We need to find her."

Koril searched her eyes with the most expression in his she'd seen so far, serious concern somehow adding depth to his solid black irises. "What are you going to do?"

"The med center's security cameras recorded her leaving the grounds alone, but they could only follow her so far. Once she got past the edge of the gardens, they lost her, so we only have a direction to go off of. We'll start there, and maybe we'll find some clues." Again hesitating, she squeezed his hand, softening her expression as best she could. "But...I won't leave if you don't want me to. I can ask the Jedi for a team to--"

"No," he interrupted strongly, "you need to go. And take some of the Edgepoints with you; they can help. Take Leikam and Swip."

After smiling briefly at Koril, she nodded and glanced back at Commander Jax, who also nodded dutifully. As she returned to Koril, she breathed lightly with relief. "Veon and Brent will stay here with you until I get back. Now, I don't want you to worry yourself about this. There's nothing you can do from here. You _need_ to rest, understand?"

Getting a nod from him, she glanced back at Veon and Brent beside her to get their agreement, too. Before she could turn back to him, though, he spoke up quietly.

"I want Derek to stay in here, too."

Though she immediately began to disagree, she stopped herself, biting her lower lip. She didn't want Derek's intermittent crying to halt or even reverse Koril's recovering strength, but perhaps keeping his son close to him would improve his mood and his health. Giving in to the pleading look in his eyes, she nodded, smiling a little as she continued.

"Is there anything else you need before I leave?"

Koril shook his head, and after she looked back to Veon and Brent for their answers, she stood from her seat and leaned over Koril, kissing him lightly on the forehead. Before she could move back from him, though, his gentle hand on the side of her neck caught her by surprise. Locking gazes with him again, she smiled and leaned in further to accommodate him, meeting his lips in a soft kiss he had once denied from her. Though he was weak, she could tell he wanted more, but as she released him, he didn't protest. Instead he remained motionless with his eyes closed, as though rendered breathless by her kiss. As she brushed her fingers over his cheek, he released a shaky breath and looked up at her, his eyes pleading once more.

"Be careful."

She nodded, carefully resting her forehead against his briefly. Though his hand dropped from her neck, she took hold of it, folding her fingers in his. As much as she hated to leave him after getting him back, she had to. Thankful that he understood and that he had other friends to stay with him, she relaxed, kissing him again gently before she stood back from him. His eyes followed her, but he was silent as she squeezed his hand and turned to leave. Though anxious to find her friend, an odd calm took her over as she left the room, tugging her lightsaber off her belt as the two Edgepoints kept close behind her.

* * *

Though he hung back in a small, darkened room beside the larger one, he left the door open, allowing him to hear the two inside. He watched Dr. Tzymo with Mand through the wide window, faintly hoping the doctor wouldn't be opposed to his presence there. So far he hadn't drawn attention to himself, and as long as Mand was immobilized and facing the other way, he probably would remain unnoticed. Focused on what Dr. Tzymo was coaxing out of Mand, Horatio listened intently.

"Nevermind the others," Tzymo continued coolly. "The procedure, Mand. Tell me what they did to begin."

Strapped to a table and drugged with sedatives and memory enhancers, Mand hadn't moved for a long time, except for a small, brief twitch that shook her entire body at random intervals. Her voice was low and distant, but as if compelled by some strange obedience, she answered every question and elaborated on every detail Tzymo had asked of her.

"They wanted pure DNA," she breathed, her gaze firmly fixed on nothing. "They started drawing marrow from us. Samples from legs and arms. No pain medication, lots of screaming..."

"Yes, they took marrow," Tzymo repeated with a slight air of annoyance, "I understand. What did they use it for?"

"Template for clones."

"How?"

A sudden twitch slowed Mand's response. "Isolated select genes. They wanted..."

"Yes?"

"They...no...no! Leave me alone! I don't..." Before Dr. Tzymo could redirect her, she released a chilling, painful scream, her body twisting and pulling against the restraints. As quickly as it had started, though, she fell still on the table, and Horatio found himself holding his breath until he saw her move, breathing again herself. Tzymo had only watched her blankly, waiting out her reaction as though he had expected it. He studied her a few more moments before he injected another dose of a memory enhancer he had designed, glancing uninterestedly at the vital sign monitors he had set up beside her. Her pulse was impossibly fast, but as the drugs Tzymo had just given her took effect, her heart slowed and she returned to a semi-lucid state. Tzymo didn't waste any time, resuming his merciless questioning.

"What genes were they after?"

Mand continued to moan as if in pain. "I don't know..."

A foreign surprised expression rolled over Tzymo's face. "You were just about to say."

"I don't know. They took marrow, stopped my heart, stopped everything... Then the implantations began."

Tzymo's brow furrowed in frustration. "You said they isolated select genes for the clones. What were those genes?"

Another tremor shook her, stalling her words before she answered, and again she floated in and out of coherence. Even from across the room, Horatio could see Dr. Tzymo's jaw tightening in frustration, and just as he began filling _another_ hypodermic injector, Mand began speaking in between sharp breaths.

"Didn't matter. The clones...were flawed. They didn't account for...the changes with...unaccelerated growth. The clones...starved the subjects...to death..." Though it seemed as though Mand had stopped breathing, she flinched as she gasped suddenly, continuing from where she had left off. "They never took the same. Some took calcium, some sodium, others iron... They could never isolate...the reason... Over...and over...and over...every month for four years. Everyone...died."

Tzymo's expression relaxed into disappointment. Apparently he didn't like what he was hearing. "You survived."

Mand's simple answer was haunting. "We shouldn't have."

But Tzymo only blinked. "'We'? To whom else are you referring?"

Horatio could hardly believe it himself. Even he knew Mand's daughter Cordira was born too soon after her rescue to have been her husband Rech's biological child. How was it that Tzymo, a man so well connected to the entire galaxy with an army of informants and spies at his command at all times, hadn't pieced it together about the Natiyr girl?

Mand's voice, though, seemed to be getting even more distant and weak, and her intermittent twitching had ceased, as well. "She almost...killed me, too," she breathed, "then she saved me..." But with her last words, her voice faded and her eyes began to close, as though her mind was shutting itself down from the stress. "She...saved me..."

Though Tzymo again brought the injector up to Mand's arm to administer another dose, he stopped, instead placing it on the table behind him. After sweeping a cold gaze over her unconscious form, he stood from her quietly, tugging his white lab coat taut over his shoulders. Seemingly undaunted by her state, he returned to his equipment beside her, casually reprogramming it with a few quick taps, and satisfied with its display, he sighed, not even turning to face Horatio in the room behind him.

"Her mind is a little...overworked, Mr. Sheridan, but don't worry. It just needs a chance to restart itself."

Horatio swallowed nervously, stepping around the corner to face Tzymo who still had his back to him. He looked at Mand, fighting to quell a strange feeling he had suddenly developed, having heard and watched her suffering through her memories. Was it pity he felt, or guilt for essentially having strapped her to the table himself? Barely able to find his voice, he maintained his gaze on Mand.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her."

At that, Tzymo turned around, leveling a curious expression at him. "I said nothing of the sort, Mr. Sheridan. I merely stated that I sought information from her. I never made any mention of how much I would "hurt" her to get it." Tzymo slightly cocked his head, calmly considering another thought. "Hm. You do not want her harmed. Why?"

Stunned, Horatio struggled to come up with an answer. "Habit."

Tzymo continued with relentless calculation. "Explain."

"She was my partner for four years, and..." Horatio hesitated, "...she deserves better."

"What brings you to that conclusion?"

Again looking down on her, unconscious with her mind in complete disarray, he had to force out his words. "She's a good person."

Tzymo laughed lightly, easily dismissing Horatio's answer. "I don't believe that." Horatio blinked, but Tzymo continued with hardly a moment's pause. "People are not inherently good or evil, Mr. Sheridan. Their day to day choices are guided simply by the parameters of the situation with which they are faced and the promise of their best possible outcome. Even if an "evil" choice presented itself, yet provided a result that was more beneficial to the person making the choice, it would be exceptionally foolish of the person to not take the "evil" choice. As a rule, this galaxy operates on the assumption that anyone will make decisions based on what is most desirable for themselves. Even the mighty, noble New Republic is not immune to this, as we have seen on countless occasions.

"Now, you perceive my actions against Mrs. Natiyr as bad, but I see them simply as a means to an end. I deal in truths, and truth is neither good nor bad; it simply is. So in venturing to attain a truth, I do what I must. Your opinion of my choices does not matter to me. What matters to me is what _you _choose to do from this point forward. Your "good" choice would be to continue to follow my orders. Any other choice...well, let's just say, I'll be monitoring your interactions with her _very_ carefully."

Again left in a daze, Horatio maintained a neutral expression, watching Tzymo leave without another word. His head was spinning, but determined to withhold any further weakness from Tzymo, he glanced about the room furtively. Two cameras hung in opposite corners of the room, and each was slowly scanning back and forth, covering the room well with wide, sweeping angles. Tzymo hadn't been lying; there was no space in the room where his cameras couldn't see. Despite Tzymo's warning, something kept Horatio from abandoning Mand. Left with his thoughts, he stepped back to the wall he had watched her through and leaned against it, his eyes focused on her as a conflicted expression took over his face.


	11. Chapter 11

It hadn't taken Elena long to follow Mand's path from the med center, but even with her lightsaber at her side and the two Edgepoints behind her, she was beginning to get the proverbial bad feeling. As she, Swip, and Leikam stood at the threshold of a dark, foreboding alley, she couldn't sense anyone else nearby, and for good reason. Even scavenging rodents left the alley vacant, as though something were warding them off. Were it not for the sinister skeletal remains of structures that had obviously once been an opulent part of the surrounding med center grounds centuries ago, Elena would have thought they had stepped onto another world entirely. She was just as unfamiliar with the city-planet's Underlevels as she was with its elegant high class sectors, but she knew enough to stay away from both.

"M'lady," Mennil Leikam began quietly, "please, allow us to go in first."

Elena shook her head, her voice defiant. "No, we go in together." Though it took a few moments, she finally got looks of resignation from them both. "Keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. This was the last place the security cameras saw Mand, and she may have left us clues."

Leikam and Swip nodded simultaneously, pulling their blasters from holsters at their waists as they kept close at her side. Elena made the first steps into the alley, her hand firmly gripping her lightsaber hilt, but almost immediately she noticed footprints in the centuries-old grime that lined the durasteel path. They were leading deeper into the darkness, but the pattern was regular and paced, spaced close enough together to have been made at a slow walk. Still wary of the alley around her, though, she continued to follow the prints while also glancing about, scanning the levels above and beside her. Both Swip and Leikam watched in front and behind, alternating as they walked along.

Having the two of them with her was comforting and unnerving at the same time. She was unsure what they would encounter during their search, and more importantly, she wasn't sure how well she could protect them both if someone were to attack. They had been well trained, she knew, and if they were anywhere near Koril's caliber of guards, they could certainly handle themselves. But still, a strange warning sounded in the back of her mind as they moved in further, though she couldn't tell where it was originating from. Something had definitely happened in the alley, but what?

"M'lady," Swip caught her attention as he knelt to the dirty floor, pointing out a long, dragging trail in the filth. It stopped against a mangled cargo container with a few footprints around it, and as they stepped toward it, another set of tracks nearby disturbed her. Just beside the container, a set of four nonhuman prints lined up and encircled the others, and judging by the spacing and size of each print, they belonged to some large animal. At her side, Leikam saw them, too.

"_What _are _those..._"

A sense of dread took hold of her, even though she knew she had no way of telling if the animal tracks were there before, after, or during Mand's trip down the same alley. As she followed two sets of human footprints and the animal's beside theirs deeper into the alley, it became apparent that they all had to have been walking together. Other than the trail that looked like something had slid along the ground, there seemed to be no evidence of an attack: no blood, no apparent new damage to the walls or other structures within the alley...

_What were you doing down here, Mand... _

Though the lighting in the alley continued to diminish the further they went, Elena could clearly tell that the footprints suddenly stopped. All three disappeared, leaving the remaining durasteel floor down the alley undisturbed, layers of thick dust and dirt with no definable change. Confused, she looked around, but Swip again grabbed her attention, kneeling down to inspect odd markings on the floor.

"A ship took off from here, m'lady," he said as he placed his palm against the black streaks that fanned out from one focal point. "Exhaust burns," he explained, "and they're still somewhat warm. Probably didn't leave too long ago."

Elena furrowed her brows. A ship was going to be even harder to track, especially since there was no way to know what it looked like, and there most likely weren't any witnesses in the area who would be willing to speak. She was going to have to come up with another way to find Mand.

Just as Swip stood and turned back to Elena to speak, a deep, guttural growl echoed down the alley, seemingly emanating from all directions. Instinctively, both Swip and Leikam closed in around her, their backs to her as they tried to determine the source of the sound. When nothing else moved and the alley was once again silent, Elena gripped Swip by the arm, tugging on it as she began backpedaling toward the alley's exit.

The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion.

Though it made no sound, an ugly, ferocious animal sprinted toward them at an impossible speed out of the darkness, its black eyes fixed on the three and its protruding jaw lowered. Elena didn't have time to react, much less pull Swip out of the way of its powerful spiked tail it swung at them, landing squarely in his stomach. The force of the blow launched him backward into the air, knocking Elena and Leikam down behind him. Scrambling to her feet with suddenly blurred vision, Elena ignited her purple-bladed lightsaber, quickly defending Leikam and Swip on the ground.

The beast roared viciously and scraped its claws at the floor, but as Elena stepped forward, twirling her blade aggressively at it, it surprisingly began to back off. With another chilling growl and threatening tail thrash, it snorted angrily and turned, rapidly disappearing back into the black from where it had come.

Motionless and breathing heavily, Elena stood in shock, watching the dark alley. She had never seen such a terrifying beast, and neither had she seen something as large as it was move as quickly as it had. It wasn't until she heard a faint choking sound behind her that she remembered what had just happened. Powering down her saber and clipping it back on her belt, she turned, kneeling beside Swip who was pale and shaking on the floor. Leikam was pressing his hand firmly on Swip's stomach, and even in the darkness of the alley, she could see blood spilling out underneath his fingers.

"M-M'lady," Swip choked weakly, "you're hurt."

"Shh," she immediately quieted him, gently pulling Leikam's hand away to see the wound. The beast's spiked tail had pierced him deeply, and even with Leikam's compression, the bleeding had hardly stopped. She watched Swip's eyes as she placed her hand over it, pressing down hard and calling on the Force to heal it. Swip still gasped for breath in shock, but his eyes tracked to the side, looking behind her down the dark alley.

"It's okay," she reassured him, "it's gone. You're going to be okay." Though she continued concentrating on his wound, his eyes remained fixed on the alley. With her free hand, she turned his head to her, looking into his eyes intensely. "Swip, listen to me--"

But his gaze returned to the alley and widened suddenly in alarm. "_M'lady_!!"

Again before she could react, the beast returned and leaped at her, digging its front claws into her shoulders as it powerfully knocked her to the ground on the other side of Swip, landing atop her back with an angry growl. With its entire weight pressing her shoulders against the filthy floor, she couldn't move her arms to reach her lightsaber at her belt. Inflicting more pain, it slowly flexed its claws deeper into her back, and as it picked up one paw and began to drag it down her shoulder blade, she saw Swip beside her weakly bring up his blaster, aiming at the beast.

"No, don't!" she tried to warn, afraid of enraging it further, but both Swip and Leikam unleashed a flurry of bolts, landing at least one in the creature's eye. It roared in pain and jumped off her as it shook its head, affording her just enough time to grab her saber. Igniting it, she rolled onto her back and swung it up to sweep the surface of the monster's hind leg as it stumbled away out of her reach. Just as before, though, it trotted off, limping as it growled and once again returned to the darkness disoriented. Leikam continued to shoot at it as it left, but as soon as it disappeared, he holstered his blaster and knelt at her side.

She again replaced her saber hilt on her belt, and without even feeling her own wounds, she dismissed Leikam's concern, instead returning her attention to Swip beside her. After wounding the beast, he had fallen back to the floor nearly lifeless, barely breathing and ashen-faced. Again kneeling at his side, she resumed the pressure on his wound, but he didn't even react to the pain, making her panic.

"Swip, come on, stay with me," she pleaded, checking his pulse with her other hand. Though it was thready and he was still breathing, he was quickly becoming critical. "Swip?" She gripped his jaw and turned his head to her, but he hadn't yet responded to her. Even more worried, she raised her voice. "Swip! _Saross_!"

Finally answering to his first name, he coughed weakly and looked up at her, though his eyes seemed unfocused. Looking toward the alley's opening that had to be more than a kilometer away, she glanced up at Leikam. "Can you carry his weight?" Getting a quick nod from him, she stood and pulled Swip up under his arms, lifting one over Leikam's tall shoulder. He easily supported Swip and began to quickly make his way out of the alley toward the med center while Elena ignited her saber behind them, walking backwards to keep an eye on the dark in case the beast made a third appearance.

* * *

Unaware of how long he had been standing alone in the room with Mand still unconscious on the table in front of him, Horatio continued to stare with his arms crossed over his chest, confused by his own reaction. Tzymo had so easily broken through his barriers he had put up, bringing back feelings he hadn't considered in years. She had once been his partner, but they had almost been more. Not only had she been streetsmart like him, she had also proven her worthiness as a warrior at the meager age of eleven. He had at first thought her a brat, but seeing her ingenuity, her instincts, and her powerful Force skills time and time again, saving his life on more than one occasion, he had come to..._need_ her, and he hated to admit it. She seemed unstoppable, and together they had successfully completed all of their missions for the shadowy Huxnel they had been assigned.

But so much had happened since her shift of allegiance. On her first mission without him, she had run into the Jedi Academy runt Elena, and in trying to infiltrate the planet's hierarchy to assassinate the king, she had fallen into their friendship instead. He had expected the Huxnel to send out a team to contain her, possibly even kill her to keep her quiet about them, but for some reason, they had left her alone, at least until a few months ago. Maybe it was her powerful abilities that kept them from pursuing her until absolutely necessary, and even then they were only able to subdue her because he had been involved. And once again, thanks to his hand, she was a captive, a prisoner in her own mind...

Though she hadn't moved since blacking out what seemed like hours ago, Horatio stood from the wall when she choked suddenly, coughing as her head rolled from side to side. She moaned in pain, but as soon as she opened her eyes, she quieted, fixing her gaze on him. Her expression was blank even as she looked at him, and he could tell she was processing something. What surprised him, though, was the tone of her voice as she addressed him.

"Jespir," she breathed quietly with relief, "...you're okay."

Confused, Horatio stepped forward cautiously after a moment, unsure what she meant. Had she called him Jespir to deride him? And why would she care about his condition? Hesitant, he shrugged a little, his voice expressionless. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She still looked glad to see him, her voice weak but hopeful. "That explosion...at the art dealer's home... You saved me."

Horatio could hardly breathe. Her mind was completely splintered by the drugs Tzymo had subjected her to, and she was stuck in her nine-year-old memory of one of their missions that had taken them to the ice planet of Hoth. They had broken into Tarin Scorne's hidden underground art stores in search of one particular painting the Huxnel were after, but such a seemingly innocent mission had not gone as well as it should have...

He swallowed hard, struggling to withhold his own resurfacing memories. "Yeah...you just had to walk right into that trigger..."

"Did we get it?"

Again unsettled, he held her gaze for a long silent moment, his jaw clenched, before he nodded. "Yeah. We got it." They had been successful in acquiring the painting, but at the cost two lives: Tarin's, and...unintentionally, his wife Jaala's, the woman Horatio had become close to while infiltrating Tarin's business. He had maybe even come close to being in love with her, and she wasn't supposed to have been killed...he should have been able to protect her...

"Good," Mand continued tiredly, though she grimaced. "My head hurts...really bad..."

"Just relax, Kil. You'll be fine."

"Why did you do it?"

Still desperate to control his expression, he looked at her for another long moment, his voice low. "Do what?"

She sounded so innocent... "You came back for me. You weren't supposed to."

He had to look away from her eyes. "Part of the mission. I had to bring you back in one piece, or Armiger would have my head." Returning to her, he shook his head as he laughed shortly, though his expression changed little. "You never made it easy for me."

"I'm sorry," she apologized needlessly. "I have a lot to prove to my master..."

He shook his head. "You don't owe me an explanation. You have your mission, I have mine. We just happen to...cross paths..." Hearing her words she had just said to him hours ago come from his mouth before he could stop them, he released a shaky breath, haunted by how much of his past was intersecting with his present. He was reconnecting with her, far more than he anticipated, more than he wanted to, but she kept drawing him in. Though still strapped to the table, she turned her wrist under the restraints, placing her near hand palm up to him.

"But I at least owe you my gratitude."

He stared at her hand for what felt like an eternity. Inexplicably, his own hand floated over hers, and though every thought in his mind shouted against it, he gently closed his hand around hers, gripping it carefully. Her fingers tightened, too, and he could barely bring himself to speak.

"You'll do okay, Kil. You don't --"

Feeling her grip loosen suddenly, he looked up at her in time to see her head roll to the side as she fell unconscious once more. He released her hand after a few moments, and after a long, tired sigh, he stepped back, running his hand through his hair anxiously. He had to leave, leave her, maybe even leave Tzymo Labs for a while, but he couldn't get away fast enough. Without even looking back to make sure she were still alive, he left her behind, his jaw tightly set and a dark look in his eyes.

* * *

"I'm not bleeding anymore, so let me go."

Elena's demands continued to fall upon deaf ears, despite the minor nature of her wounds. She felt stupid getting such intense attention, but a team of nurses continued to tend to the gashes on her back and nearly had to hold her down to keep her in place.

"Please, ma'am, these need to be cleaned, and we've not yet evaluated your nose that may be broken."

"I can heal them myself, now please, I need to leave!"

Another nurse behind her answered a little more forcefully. "Not until we complete our assessment!"

Elena sat hunched over on a hard bench, with no less than four sets of hands poking and seemingly scraping at the claw wounds on her back, making her cringe intermittently. She had her arms wrapped over her chest, holding a minimal sheet over her exposed upper body while her bare shoulders and back were inspected and cleaned. Dried blood itched under her nose, but resigned and afraid of being berated for moving again, she held still, hoping they would be finished soon.

"What did you say this animal was?" one of the nurses beside her asked. Aided by a particularly painful probe reaching down into her shoulder muscles, she resisted the urge to bite back angrily.

"I didn't," she answered through gritted teeth, "we don't know."

Still in shock from the attack, Elena had a hard time processing just what all had happened. She remembered hearing the growl in the alley, then something incredibly fast ran up to them and hit Swip, and he knocked her down as he was launched backward... That must have been how she had gotten a bloody nose that instantly blurred her vision as her eyes watered. She hadn't even felt it, it had happened so fast, and the rush of having to fight such a nightmarish monster kept her numb to it until after the second attack and after she and Leikam had gotten Swip safely to the med center. The medical staff had whisked her away, too, tending to her almost immediately and leaving her without the chance to check on his status. She had a dozen other friends only a handful of floors above her in the complex, but none of them had come to her. Either they just hadn't found her yet, or Swip was in more danger than she had thought.

"Miss Lyran," came a solemn voice beside her, and even though she didn't want to move, she didn't have to. She knew her visitor.

"Master Lithess," she answered respectfully, and after listening a brief moment for the lighter set of his apprentice's footsteps, she added, "Wes."

The Chiss Jedi Master wasted no time. "The animal, was it the same?"

Still hunched over and having to stare at the floor, she nodded carefully. "I think so. It was just as Mand described...impossibly fast and strong, and Master, it wounded one of our guards with that awful tail. Could you --"

"Master Rylka is already seeing to him," he cut in, anticipating her question. She sighed with relief, but there were still other pressing matters. "Did you notice anything else about the beast? Where it came from, where it went, _anything_ that will help us track it?"

Taking in a deep breath to calm her racing thoughts, she concentrated, thinking back to the encounter. The beast itself, aside from being extremely dangerous and apparently a mystery to everyone, had no defining markings or identification of any kind. The alley's darkness had shrouded its arrival and departure, but as they were making their way back to the med center after the attack, she remembered hearing...

Still with her eyes closed in thought, she spoke quickly. "A ship took off nearby after we left. I can't...I can't make it out..."

"Patience, Miss Lyran," Lithess guided calmly. "Quiet your mind, focus on that single moment."

Using the Force to concentrate harder, she pushed her sight through the darkness, through the smog that blanketed the outskirts of the med center grounds, and though she had almost lost it, she _finally_ saw a clear image. "Gray, with a dark green stylized logo: T L."

Though Master Lithess said nothing in response, she knew him well enough to know that his silence meant he was already formulating a plan of action. Simultaneously, all hands that had been working on her wounds lifted from her back as the nurses stepped away from her. A light blanket was draped around her shoulders as Lithess strongly pulled at her elbow to stand her up, bringing the blanket tails in front of her.

"Thank you for your service," Lithess addressed the medics cordially, "but I will be resuming her care." As he finally looked her in the face as she stood, she vainly brushed the blood off her skin above her lip, and his crimson gaze nodded to her shortly. "We'll find you a new set of garments on the way. We have a few hours of travel ahead of us."


	12. Chapter 12

Courscant's sun had long since set over the Laboratory Sector, but the area's intense nightlife kept the nearby buildings well lit at night. Tzymo Labs took up more than one square block, and two of its reaching towers were connected with hundreds of skybridges that formed a tangled web of walkways. Up and down each side of the towers were some minimal landing platforms jutting out toward the walkways, but the gap between them was sizable, preventing serious accidents. No airspeeder or shuttle could navigate through the bridges, only around, and though the buildings themselves were very nearly full with Tzymo's scientists and workers, the walkways were more for show than anything, making the complex look larger than it actually was, and rarely carried much pedestrian traffic.

Horatio stood alone on the top bridge, looking out into the Coruscant nightscape while trying to clear his head. The air was brisk, but his light jacket kept him comfortable enough while he thought. Another hour, though, and he knew he'd have to go back inside. Nights on the city-planet were unforgiving, and he didn't think he could be out of reach for too long without Tzymo taking notice, anyway.

A swift breeze filtered through the interwoven walkways below him, making a faint howling noise that for some reason made him nervous. He knew it wasn't Prophet, but it still unnerved him. He hardly even knew the creature, but he had seen enough to know he wanted as little contact with her as possible. One of Tzymo's custom creations, he knew she had to be volatile somehow, and not knowing what would set her off into a dangerous rage was far more stress than he wanted to handle, especially with all that had been happening recently.

No matter how hard he tried to think of something else, his thoughts easily returned to Mand, seeing her strapped to that table because of him, yet treating him as her partner, the way they had been more than ten years ago. The contrast saddened him, though he couldn't admit to himself why. He knew he'd never work with her again, and he honestly thought she would have fought him more, maybe even killed him when he approached her in that alley the day before. Prophet, however, had spared him the harm.

And what was he to say to her? That he was sorry for the pain and trouble he had caused her and her friends recently? That it wasn't his fault he had to do the things he had done? She'd laugh at him, he was sure, even though he had shown his regret more than once. She blamed him for nearly killing Koril, but he had in fact saved him by administering half of the antidote Tzymo had commissioned him to retrieve. He just hadn't figured out a way to tell her yet, and convincing her that he was in fact telling her the truth would be even harder.

Disrupting his thoughts, a small, gray shuttle approached slowly and low over the nearby buildings. As it got closer, he recognized the green Tzymo Labs logo on the side. His interest lost, he turned away, only to be interrupted by his beeping comlink in his pocket.

"Sheridan," he answered it cautiously, but he was relieved to hear Zanti's voice on the other end.

"Flying over you right now," she said as he watched the shuttle roar overhead. "You get stuck with guard duty again?"

"Very funny," Horatio bit back in a low voice. "Where have you been?"

The ship landed and disappeared inside a hangar just beside the towering spires but kilometers below him on the complex's lower levels. "Tzymo sent Prophet and me to do some cleanup, make sure we didn't leave anything traceable behind. More specifically, to check for anything _you_ left behind on purpose for your friends."

"They're not my friends," he said darkly.

"Still, Tzymo wanted to be sure. Can't blame him, though, with your track record."

Horatio sighed angrily. "Thanks for the confidence."

"You're welcome."

Frustrated, Horatio began to pocket his comlink, but Zanti continued. "I hope you don't mind, but I think Prophet may have added another victim to her résumé."

"What? How?"

"We went back to that alley, and Elena and her two...guards, consorts, whatever, were already there. Prophet knew it before I did, of course, so by the time I figured out what had happened, I think one of them had already died."

Horatio blinked. "Are you _sure_?"

"See! You _do_ care!"

"Yeah, I care! I care that they may have had the chance to _follow_ you!"

"Relax, Horatio," Zanti countered once more, but she only flustered him more. "They were too busy tending to their buddy to see us. Plus, it was too dark and there was too much haze around to see anything, anyway. We're fine."

_I hope so_, he thought, _for your sake._

"Are you going to come inside? You'll catch Lungrot or the Dantari Flu if you stay out any longer."

As he switched off his comlink and stuffed it back in his pocket, he glanced down at the hangar where he saw Zanti's silhouette standing at its opening, looking up at him. He watched her for a brief moment before he began the long, cold walk back into Tzymo Labs, thankful to finally have something else, however worrying it was, occupying his thoughts.

Once he got back inside the compound, Horatio hesitantly decided to first check on Mand. Tzymo had probably resumed his "interrogation" of sorts, and feeling guilty for his part in it, Horatio at least wanted to be on hand. If her mind really had splintered as badly as it seemed, he might be able to help calm her.

Or, he thought briefly, he'd make it worse.

Still, on his way back to her room, he walked past the surveillance station to look inside the room before he went in, but seeing no one on either of the screens, he stopped. No one was sitting at the console, either, and alarmed, he hunched over the controls and replayed the recording.

He saw her being brought in hours ago, still unconscious with bloody bandages around her stomach. Tzymo immediately descended on her, filling her veins with his potent memory enhancers before she had even been secured to the table. He sped up the playback to the point where she blacked out after the first round of questioning and where he first appeared with Tzymo in the room. That conversation still made him shudder, recalling Tzymo's ruthless logic, and after the doctor left, Horatio had stepped back, almost out of the cameras' view.

The next few minutes of watching were uneventful...until he saw something move he hadn't noticed before. A small container floated from Tzymo's equipment shelf, completely bypassing Horatio's attention the first time while he had been so earnestly focused on Mand. The container hovered briefly, then affixed itself to one of the two cameras. Its screen went black though it was still recording, and Horatio continued to watch both, unsure of what was going on.

The other camera was recording from behind him as he stepped up to Mand's side. After a few moments, realization of what was about to happen set in and was beginning to make him feel sick to his stomach.

The camera saw him reach for her hand, but it couldn't see around him or see that he was just holding her hand, nothing more. As soon as he left, Mand, suddenly coherent, somehow wrenched her hand free from the restraints, as though he had loosened them for her just moments before. She made quick work of the others at her waist, ankles, and opposite hand, and before he could see where she went, she looked up at the one camera still recording, a faint regretful look on her face, and with the Force, she lifted another container up to its lens, blackening both for a few brief seconds. Once the containers fell, the room was empty, leaving no trace of her and leaving him no way of knowing which way she went.

She had played him the whole time.

Angry but fighting a sense of panic, he grabbed a blaster from a nearby storage locker and took off in search of her, desperate to bring her back before Tzymo had a chance to see the incriminating recordings.

* * *

Escape from Tzymo's compound seemed easy enough. As long as Mand was able to avoid any of Tzymo's mindless henchmen or his neurotic scientists, she could make a clean escape. Unfortunately, she also had to dodge surveillance cameras, and those were harder to sense and anticipate in the Force. She had been lucky so far, able to use large, oblivious guards as cover through most of the hallways, but she knew it would only be a matter of time before she was seen by someone, mechanical or not.

Her use of Horatio, intentionally taking advantage of him to make her getaway weighed heavily on her mind. He had easily taken her bait, and she deliberately fed off his anguish from one of his most painful memories. Elena had told her months ago of how Jaala's death had shaken him, and though she wasn't completely aware of just how much until she saw the look on his face, she had to take the chance. She knew she had stooped to his level by framing him for her escape, but he would have done the same in her position.

...wouldn't he?

Still feeling the effects of Tzymo's drugs and briefly distracted by her thoughts of Horatio, Mand stumbled, getting the attention of a Gran guard ahead. Though frozen in place for a split second, vainly hoping he hadn't noticed, she had to dive into a nearby hallway to avoid his blaster fire. The sound of the bolts quickly echoed down the halls, earning the attention of everyone within earshot. More and more guards filled the corridors, forcing Mand to make a quicker exit than she had planned. Close enough to the building's outer edges and seeing a complex series of walkways well-lit just outside a window down the hall from her, she made a quick dash for the adjoining curving hall, following it as far as she could while keeping one stride ahead of the blaster bolts trailing her.

As she rounded the way to a straight portion of the corridor, she met another handful of guards who skidded to a stop in front of her. She could see one reaching for a stun weapon at his side, and hearing the others catching up behind her, she had to act quickly.

Taking in a deep breath to draw on the power of the Force, she spun in a blur and crouched to the floor as bolts crossed over her head, taking out a few in the front lines. Before the guards could adjust their aim, she let go of a deep cry as she stood and pushed her arms outward to both groups, releasing her powerful Shockwave that blasted the guards back dozens of meters away from her and bowed the hall's structural supports. The window in front of her shattered from the sheer force of the blow, spraying transparisteel all over the walkway just outside.

Though thrown off balance by the exertion but having distracted her pursuers, Mand climbed through the open frame to the outside durasteel platform. Spotting a small shuttle atop a landing pad attached to the adjacent tower, she again drew on the Force to propel her up through the darkness, leaping from walkway to walkway as though together they formed a jagged staircase to the top of the towers.

* * *

Horatio's instincts had served him well while trying to track Mand, leading him to find the least monitored and populated areas and follow the path he would have taken himself if he had wanted to escape. It wasn't long before he heard a flurry of blaster fire echoing down the hall, and sure that Mand was at the center of it, he picked up a faster pace, nearly running as he made his way down the rounded hall.

Just as he met a mass of Tzymo's guards, a sudden explosion knocked him onto his back, though he strangely didn't feel any heat from the blast. Scrambling to his feet in alarm, he angrily searched for the idiot who had thrown a detonator in such a dense crowd, but when he noticed no burn marks or any visible injuries among the guards from it, he paused, perplexed. If it hadn't been an explosion...

Looking out the broken window, he spotted movement outside, but it was gone before he could identify it. Stepping around the guards still unconscious and sprawled on the floor, he drew his blaster, approaching the open window carefully. A strong wind whined through the bent durasteel frames, masking any further noise coming from behind him, but intently focused on the outside, he finally saw her, jumping from ledge to ledge up the walkways between the towers with seemingly impossible power. Knowing he'd never be able to catch up with her that way, he holstered his blaster and took off down the hall, getting to a turbolift quickly.

The ride up the dozens of levels to the top made him even more tense and nervous, but as soon as the lift doors opened, he sprinted out, racing to the walkway in the night's bitter cold. On the other side of the durasteel gorge, a shuttle sat on one of the numerous landing platforms nearby, and he watched it briefly, unsure if he had been fast enough to beat her to the top. When it remained silent, he leaned over the railing, looking down at the mess of walkways that extended hundreds of meters below him. He didn't see any movement anywhere. Had he missed her? Had she gone another way? She _couldn't_ have been that fast! There were far too many levels, and she had to know that guards would be pouring onto the bridges anytime soon...

Frustrated, he pounded his fist on the rail, but as he continued to watch for her, he heard the door to the building he had just left slide back open. Expecting Mand, he turned to the door quickly, drawing his blaster at the same time. He saw Zanti standing in the doorway instead, sporting a dark expression for some reason, but afraid he'd miss his chance to chase Mand, he lowered his weapon and looked back over the rail.

"You helped her escape," Zanti charged furiously, "_again!!_"

Stunned, Horatio turned back to her, raising his hands in defense as he stepped toward her slowly and kept his voice low. "No, Zanti, you don't understand--"

But she continued, enraged. "After what Tzymo said to you! After you got _me_ caught up in this!!"

"Zanti!" he answered more forcefully but still quietly, emphasizing each word. "She set me up! I followed her out here, and I am _trying_ to fix this!"

Zanti shook her head, her eyes hard. "No. You're not going to take me down with you this time. Once was enough."

Though he had begun to protest again, a strangely familiar spike flew out of the darkness and embedded deeply into his chest just under his collarbone. The force of the impact knocked him back, making him stagger on the walkway to regain his balance. In shock and agonizing pain, he gripped the rail as he fell to his knees breathless, and just as he looked up, he saw Prophet leap down to the ledge beside Zanti, growling angrily and thrashing her dangerous tail that was missing one lone spike.

* * *

Hanging from a walkway hardly three levels below the top, Mand heard everything going on above her. She barely breathed, listening intently as she wrapped the night's darkness tightly around herself. With Prophet's arrival, she knew she only had a short amount of time before the Force-sensitive beast would find her, but the attack on Horatio had somehow frozen her in place. She wouldn't have wished Prophet's punishment on anyone, not even him...

"Pr--Prophet, I'm going to f-find her," Horatio choked out defensively, but Prophet's only response was a fierce roar before a loud thud echoed between the buildings. Horatio cried out in pain, leading Mand to envision the terrible beast landing atop him a bridge above her. He continued to choke and gasp for breath, but he formed no intelligible words, prompting another growl from Prophet.

"You still love her," Zanti accused of him, but he responded with another painful yell as Mand heard another thud that sounded like someone being thrown against a wall. A third thump echoed down to her from somewhere else, but she had heard enough.

As quietly as she could, Mand released her feet around a pipe she had clung to, and swinging down to hang above the bridge below her, she released her grip over her head, softening her landing as best she could. With a careful, calculated jump, she gracefully dove off the walkway and tucked herself into a rolling landing onto a platform far below. Taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves, she stood and looked back up at the top bridge, yelling across the distance.

"_Prophet_!! Down here!!"

It only took the beast a half second to spot her over the railing, and only a second more for her to devise a plan of attack. Knowing how incredibly fast Prophet was, Mand tried to buy herself some time, jumping down to another bridge, then another, zigzagging down through the maze.

Though Mand had a decent head start, Prophet was beginning to catch up to her before she had even reached the lower walkways. She needed a way to dispose of the beast, but with limited resources on her hands and with the bridges beginning to fill with Tzymo's guards on the lower levels, she was running out of options. She tumbled onto the floor of one bridge and jumped to her feet, looking up at Prophet who landed and roared just meters above her. Breathing heavily but confident she could still outmaneuver Prophet, she tensed as she stared her down, waiting for her to move first...

As Prophet leaped down to her, Mand determinedly twisted herself away as she jumped, deftly avoiding Prophet's swinging claw. She sailed briefly and landed with one foot precariously on the rail below, but pulling even more on the Force, she reversed her momentum into another jump, taking Prophet back up the walkway web.

But Prophet easily anticipated her moves, forcing Mand to constantly alter her trajectory. She backtracked, took large sweeping jumps, but just as she remembered from before, Prophet was relentless. Mand even tried Force Projecting an image of herself going a different direction, but unshakable, Prophet always followed her. Even in the cold night air, Mand was sweating profusely, exerting herself significantly, and knowing she was going to run out of energy soon, she _had_ to do something...

Feeling Prophet mere centimeters behind her, Mand gripped the rail of a bridge she had intended to miss, swinging herself under it and back up over it to land her boots hard into Prophet's side, sending the beast even further with a faint whine. Off balance and surprised, Prophet was only barely able to land atop a nearby platform, scraping her paws vainly at the ledge to slow herself and keep from sliding off the other side. Taking advantage of the chance to escape, Mand powered through a high jump, catapulting herself off rail after rail, determined to reach the upper walkways...

Catching her off guard, Prophet roared again as she torturously dug her claws into Mand's back in midair, completely halting and reversing Mand's momentum. As they both began to fall, Prophet gave her a powerful kick, sending Mand hard against another platform near the top of the web. She tumbled without control, sliding painfully along the rough durasteel, and only just able to, she gripped the lip of the ledge with one hand as she fell off the side, dangling perilously kilometers over the city-planet below her.

Prophet easily landed on a nearby bridge, leveling a deep, calculating growl at her as she slowly approached. Panicked, Mand tried to grab the ledge with her other hand, but her grip was beginning to loosen, her fingers sliding off the cold metal...

Out of nowhere, a bloody hand gripped hers tightly and began to pull her up, and finally able to hold on with her other hand, she quickly climbed back up onto the platform...beside Horatio, who sat back from her, his left arm hanging limply at his side as he struggled to breathe. Looking him over rapidly, she saw the hole in his left shoulder, but he leveled a dark look at her briefly before he returned his attention to Prophet behind them and stood painfully.

As the beast approached, Mand stood, too, inexplicably positioning herself in front of Horatio, though he was the one with a weapon. With her piercing onyx gaze locked firmly on Mand, Prophet snorted as if to challenge her, daring her to move and begin another pursuit and battle of strength. Mand could tell Prophet enjoyed the chase, and denying her the satisfaction, she began to build up power in the Force, staring the beast down for a final confrontation.


	13. Chapter 13

Horatio coughed with effort behind Mand, sounding worse as the tense moments passed.

"Don't, Kil," he pleaded hoarsely. Prophet still stood in front of both of them, motionless but focused and poised to attack. "Just go back inside, tell Tzymo what he wants to hear, and he'll let you go."

But Mand shook her head, leaving Horatio to only imagine the determined look on her face. "No," she said, still glaring at Prophet before her. "This ends now."

Every breath he took sounded more painful than the last, but Mand ignored him, her senses on edge and her muscles tense. Showing the most patience Mand had seen from the beast, Prophet continued to wait for something...a signal from Horatio perhaps? But she had just attacked him minutes ago for his alleged treason; how could he exercise any control over her?

Surprising even Prophet, a large explosion overhead rocked the platform they stood on, showering them with debris. Several fighters zipped about in the black night sky, seemingly chasing and attacking one lone shuttle that lumbered by. As turbolaser fire erupted above them, Prophet released a powerful roar toward the ships, then returned her attention to Mand, no longer waiting for orders.

Mand was only just able to regain her footing and dive away from Prophet as she lunged, rolling to the side behind a few large cargo containers. Though they were heavy, Mand easily lifted them with the Force and hurled them at Prophet, but the beast was quicker and leaped over them, landing in front of her as she scrambled to her feet. Before Mand could even register what happened, she felt a powerful blast knock her back down...but Prophet still stood a good meter or two away from her, twitching her tail with her black beady eyes fixed on her triumphantly.

...the beast had used the Force on _her_ in return.

Another explosion nearby made the platform sway again, and Mand again just barely dived out of Prophet's reach, though one claw caught her leg and gashed it open. She cried out in pain, but without time to tend to it, she left it to bleed while she tried to calculate her next move. Behind her, Horatio surprised her as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet with his good hand. Unable to stand on her wounded leg, she almost returned to the floor, but Horatio quickly braced her against himself with his arm around her waist. He, too, was losing the strength to stand, still struggling to breathe, but as Mand looked up at him, she gritted her teeth and stepped away, determined to finish the fight.

Prophet roared angrily, scraping the floor in preparation to charge. But before she could, the shuttle that had flown by earlier returned, barely skimming over the top of the Tzymo Labs tower beside them. Two fighters tailed it closely, firing at it relentlessly, but over the noise, Mand somehow heard a familiar voice calling out to her from it as it passed.

"_Mand_!!"

As she turned to look, she saw Elena standing in the back of the shuttle on its rear lowered ramp. She had her lightsaber ignited in her hand, swinging it to deflect one last turbolaser bolt from the chasing fighters. As Mand watched, the purple blade vanished and Elena reached back and released, throwing her lightsaber hilt into the air as the shuttle disappeared with the fighters into the dark. The saber flipped end over end as it flew, and Mand only had to reach her hand up to catch it. Feeling the cold metal hit her palm, she gripped it tightly and brought it down, returning to Prophet in front of her.

Enraged that Mand caught the weapon, Prophet lowered her head and charged, extending her jaw as sharp ramming spears. Mand stood her ground as Prophet approached, waiting for the right moment to strike...

"Kil, _NO_!"

At the last second before they collided, Mand wrapped an invisible grip around Prophet's torso and used her momentum to lift the beast over herself as she charged. At the same time, she crouched and ignited the saber, extending its blade up into Prophet's exposed underbelly as the beast powered through the jump above her, slicing the length of her torso. Prophet whined weakly as she fell, and landing hard on the platform behind Mand, she tumbled off the ledge without so much as a faint whimper and a distant thud as she landed on a ledge far below.

Mand remained crouched on the floor, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. With Prophet gone, an eerie silence hung over the platform...but it shouldn't have been so quiet...

In a panic, Mand stood and turned around, terrified to find Horatio gone, too. But...he should have moved...Prophet couldn't have taken him with her...

Stepping up to the edge, she looked down to see Prophet motionless and sprawled on a walkway...and Horatio on his side on the one below. Without even thinking, she leaped down to his level, landing awkwardly and limping as she slowly stepped up to him, still with the lightsaber ignited in her hand.

The purple glow from the blade shadowed his blank face, and Mand would have thought him dead had he not rolled onto his back as she approached. Somehow still conscious, he coughed weakly, but the fall had severely impaired his breathing, and she knew his wound was beginning to claim him. Still acting without much thought, Mand powered the saber down and clipped it to her belt, carefully kneeling beside Horatio, ignoring her leg pain as his half-open eyes fixed on her. Though she tried to keep her expression neutral, she knew she wasn't successful; his eyes followed her with warning in them as he continued to fight for every breath.

Determined but silent, Mand pressed her palm against his wound, calling on the Force to heal it. She could tell his lung under her hand was heavy with blood, but it was also collapsing in on itself because of the injury. She tried to concentrate, but his choking question caught her attention.

"What are y-you doing?"

As she looked up at him, she hardened her expression as she answered. "Saving my messenger." She pressed deeper, making him grimace in tremendous pain. "You'll live long enough to get a message to Tzymo for me."

Horatio's grimace finally released as he coughed shortly, having to resort to forcing air from his chest to breathe. "I don't th-think he'll...listen...to anyth-thing I have to say..."

"Oh, he will," she countered, watching his face, "because you're going to make him. You're going to tell him that if he wants anything else from me, he's going to have to come after me himself. And I'll be ready for him. Losing that horrible monster Prophet will be the least of his worries."

Though he looked like he was about to retort, Horatio made only a muffled choking sound as he looked around in alarm, and Mand realized he was beginning to suffocate. He couldn't draw in a breath at all, changing her focus. She tucked her other hand under his head to ease the strain on his neck and help him breathe easier, leaning over him further to look down on him and press her hand more firmly on his wound.

"Breathe all the way out," she instructed him strongly, but he continued to choke, barely able to mouth _I can't_. She pressed harder still, her expression intense. "Horatio! Do it!"

Though he continued to struggle, he locked his gaze on her as he coughed with difficulty, forcing the rest of the air from his lungs. He was rapidly losing consciousness, though, and working as quickly as she could, she focused herself again, drawing on the Force to pull air from where it wasn't supposed to be within his chest...equalizing the air pressure...

With a desperate gasp, Horatio finally took in a deep breath, inflating his damaged lung once more. He coughed painfully several times with a wet sound, breathing heavily once he was able to. Relief saturated his features, but a conflicted look overtook Mand's expression as their eyes met again for a long, tense silence. Trying to remain objective, she pulled her hand out from under his head, making him cringe as it hit the cold durasteel under him. As he recovered, he swallowed weakly, looking up at her blankly.

"I'm not sorry," he said roughly, watching her reaction closely. Though it was difficult, she kept her expression neutral with a tinge of sorrow in her eyes.

"I wouldn't have expected you to be."

Still breathing laboriously, he reached up with his good hand to pull hers from his shoulder, tossing her arm away. She narrowed her eyes and sat back from him, leveling a dark look at him as she spoke in a low voice.

"This is the last time I help you. If I ever see you again...I don't care what you're doing or why you're doing it...I _will_ kill you."

Horatio hardly flinched. "No, you won't. You can't. You...need me."

Mand blinked, taken aback by his conviction. He continued just as strongly, and she hung on his every word. "How else are you going to get the information your sister Galina wanted you to have, now that she and your father are dead?"

Stunned, Mand could hardly speak. "You're bluffing."

"She wanted me to help get you out of the Huxnel, to get you away from your father...but I--"

"Shut up," she stopped him, unsteadily standing from his side, her voice dark. "You're lying. You're just baiting me."

"You have another sibling, Kil, and now I'm the only one who knows about her--"

Even though he tried to continue, the roar of a ship's engines overhead drowned out his remaining words. As Mand looked up to it, she recognized it as the shuttle Elena had been in just minutes ago. It settled on an empty landing pad at the top of the towers, but hearing dozens of doors opening all around her, she looked about and saw Tzymo's armed guards spilling onto the walkways about her. She quickly returned to Horatio, glaring at him severely.

"If Elena saw you, you had better hope I can keep her contained, or you'll have another few wounds to tend to."

Without awaiting his response, Mand tugged Elena's lightsaber off her belt and ignited it, leaping up to the walkways above her as she swung the blade behind herself to block blaster bolts that followed her up to the top.

* * *

Elena had hardly stepped out of the shuttle with Master Lithess and his apprentice Wes Arosc before she heard blaster fire erupt below. As she leaned over the ledge to look down, Lithess was quick to grab her arm and pull her back as several bolts flew past. She shook his grip and returned to the edge, watching the activity below carefully.

More than a hundred guards filled the walkways above and below Mand, unleashing a furious shower of bolts from almost all angles. She twisted and somersaulted as she jumped, swinging the purple blade around herself deftly, but landing on one bridge strangely clumsily, she fell to its floor as the guards closed in. Even with the intense blaster fire they assaulted her with, she somehow managed to stand, still wielding the saber as a shield. Seeing Mand favoring one leg as she gripped the railing behind her to steady herself, Elena gasped.

"She's hurt, we have to help..."

"You are no good to her weaponless," Lithess said plainly as he, too, cast his crimson gaze down, but as the three watched, Mand continued to hold her own, deflecting the bolts effortlessly. The longer Elena watched, the more she began to realize...none of the guards had yet been felled by a bolt Mand had redirected. The hundreds of them were intent on killing her, yet she redirected their fire elsewhere with intense restraint. Seeming to have regained her composure, Mand made another few powerful leaps in a row, making her way to the top while still parrying the bolts behind her.

Readying himself for the pursuit that would follow Mand, Lithess drew his saber beside Elena, igniting its silvery blade to deflect a stray bolt that had found its way to them. Wes ignited his, too, casting a dark blue glow over the platform. Standing between them, Elena watched her friend anxiously, tracking Mand's progress as she continued to vault herself up the walkways in a bright purple blur. The tense seconds seemed to stand still as they waited, and though it had taken an eternity, Mand made her final jump over their heads, landing in a heap on the platform behind them.

"Get her into the shuttle," Lithess ordered immediately as he stepped closer to his apprentice. "Wes and I will cover you."

Already at Mand's side, Elena pulled Mand's arm over her shoulders, lifting her back onto her feet. Weak and hurt in one leg, Mand could barely walk, even with Elena's help. Determined to get her safely inside the shuttle, though, Elena pulled more of Mand's weight onto her shoulders, keeping her off her wounded leg as much as possible. The familiar sound of blaster bolts being ricocheted off lightsaber blades echoed around the platform as the guards turned their fire on the four, but as Elena helped Mand to a seat inside, Lithess and Wes were close behind, backpedaling into the shuttle's cabin while nimbly deflecting bolts. Elena quickly sat at the controls and raised the shuttle's ramp, powering up the engines to leave.

Once the ramp sealed shut, Lithess and Wes shut down their sabers simultaneously, and Lithess was quick to tend to Mand. But interested in leaving the complex far behind, Elena forced the shuttle into the air, guiding it toward the med center.

"Here, let me," Wes said as he stepped up behind her, respectfully offering to take the controls once they were a safe distance away without pursuing fighters. Elena nodded quickly, standing from the cockpit to return to Mand's side in the main hold. Master Lithess was already kneeling beside her, his hand over her wounded leg as he concentrated on healing it. Shivering as if cold, Mand once again looked exhausted, and in between painful winces as Lithess continued his work, she kept her eyes closed, trying to calm her own breathing.

"Mand, where else are you hurt?"

But as Mand looked up at Elena to answer, her shaking slowed and her eyes went unfocused. She was still conscious, but no longer responsive, prompting Lithess to shift his attention. Having healed her leg sufficiently, he moved to her upper body, working quickly.

"She is going into shock," he said calmly as he glanced back at Elena. "She has lost a fair amount of blood. There should be a blanket in the cabinet behind you."

Elena wasted no time, finding it quickly and laying it atop her friend as Lithess brought his hand up to Mand's head. With his thumb and index finger at her temples, he put her into a light trance with the Force to ease the stress on her system. Though Mand slowly stilled and breathed calmly, Elena was far from relieved. She knelt beside Mand, still worried as she brushed hair from her face after Lithess stepped back from them.

"She will be alright, Elena," he reassured her with his usual low, even tone as he lightly placed his clean hand on her shoulder. She nodded and sighed, looking Mand over carefully, amazed that she didn't even have a...

"Blaster burn," Elena breathed in astonishment, "not a single one."

Behind her, Lithess agreed, though his tone changed little. "While she was training under me months ago, I came to admire her profound aptitude with a lightsaber, as well as her unparalleled restraint with it. Even facing all those guards, bearing down on her relentlessly...she spared them." He sighed uncharacteristically, making Elena look back at him as he continued quietly. "If only the Committee could have seen..."

Saddened, too, by the missed opportunity to redeem Mand's standing with the Jedi, Elena returned to her, intensely curious about what she had just gone through in the past several hours. Had she been abducted again? By whom? How had she escaped, and how did Horatio Sheridan fit into the puzzle again? Despite her hundreds of questions, she kept running the images of Mand's skill with a saber through her mind. Mand had attached it to her belt before they reached the shuttle earlier, finally safe as Lithess and Wes protected her and Elena. As Elena looked at the hilt rightly hanging from Mand's belt, she sighed sadly.

"Master, we all saw what happened. Can't we...can't _you_ talk with the Committee? Tell them what you just told me?"

She looked back to see the Chiss Jedi Master lower his crimson gaze, subtly unsettled by her proposition. "My words do not hold much weight any longer, I am afraid." Unsure what he meant, she waited silently, watching him carefully as he continued. "I was the last Jedi Master charged with her training just before she confronted her father. In the Committee's eyes...I am under review, as well."

But Elena furrowed her brows, thinking it contradictory. "...yet, they still placed an apprentice with you afterward."

Lithess's expression, while normally impossible to read, was transparent; she had pointed out a fact that he hadn't considered, and it perplexed him. Still, he corrected his expression, shaking his head solemnly.

"It was most likely at Aalon's request."

Saddened even more by the mention of Master Noor, her friend and mentor who had died protecting her unborn son, Elena sat back on her feet, looking up at the cockpit where Wes worked at the controls. He, too, had been proficient with his weapon, easily deflecting blaster fire even though he had only been training with Noor and then Lithess for a few months. The boy was already showing tremendous promise and skill, much like his late maternal aunt, Tascit Arosc...

"You should rest, Elena," Lithess continued quietly. But Elena shook her head, instead returning her attention to Mand for the duration of their hours-long trip to the opposite side of the city-planet.

* * *

Though Mand had repaired his wound somewhat, Horatio could still hardly breathe, and it was still extremely hard to. His own bloodsoaked shirt stuck to his skin and lowered his body temperature even more, making him shiver painfully on the ice cold durasteel walkway. Tzymo's guards had ignored him in order to pursue Mand, but as the shuttle took off, they returned to him, though they did nothing more than maintain their blasters in his general direction. As if he was going to get up and escape, too, he thought sardonically. He couldn't even sit up without help, let alone try to dodge the hundreds of them that surrounded him. They all watched him intently but remained silent, like they were waiting for something...

Before long, the guards around him parted, allowing through one lone tall man he presumed to be Tzymo. Horatio was quickly losing the battle for consciousness, and coughing to clear his throat of blood that was drowning him, he looked up to see Tzymo standing over him with his arms crossed, his feet mere inches from Horatio's head. His expression was intense but strangely blank, and as Tzymo looked him over without any interest, he sighed, his breath billowing away in a light cloud.

"Get him inside to the bacta lab," Tzymo ordered darkly. "He still has _many_ lessons to learn..."

With that, the doctor rounded and returned to the tower, leaving his guards to grab Horatio by his arms and drag him inside. The merciless movement stole Horatio's last reserves of strength, reducing him to hang limply between the two. He couldn't physically protest, nor could he speak, as the strain on his wound caused him even more pain. Instead his head fell forward, and though he feared what Tzymo had planned for him, he couldn't hold out any longer and blacked out.


	14. Chapter 14

As Mand finally woke up, the first thing she noticed was her nonexistent leg pain. Lithess had repaired it well, leaving her with only lingering soreness on her back where Prophet's claws had dug into her. She could still hear the subtle hum of the shuttle's engines maneuvering through a complex maze of towering spires that covered Coruscant, but she had no idea how long she had been out. As she opened her eyes, she met Elena's concerned gaze, and intent on easing her friend's anxiety, Mand gave her a small smile.

"We're not far from the med center," Elena began gently, her eyes still genuinely worried. "How are you feeling?"

Still smiling, Mand nodded, slowly bringing a hand to her head. "I think I'm okay." Surprised at the hoarseness of her voice, she tried vainly to rub away a headache, but glancing up to the cockpit at both Lithess and Wes at the controls, her expression fell. "We made a clean escape? No pursuing fighters?"

Elena nodded cautiously, watching her closely. Mand again relaxed, releasing a long breath in relief as she lowered her hand. She hoped she had seen the last of Tzymo, and of Horatio, but she had a sneaking suspicion that neither was finished with her yet...

"Mand," Elena got her attention once more, "what happened?"

At that, Mand closed her eyes, hesitant to tell her everything. Deciding a short explanation would suffice for the time being, she sighed and looked up at her friend sadly.

"A man named Tzymo had me taken to his lab so he could ask me about the experiments... He gave me some kind of drug that forced my memories to surface, and I think I told him everything I could remember."

"Did that animal attack you, too, in that alley?"

Mand blinked, encouraging Elena to continue. "I took a few Edgepoints with me to retrace your steps after you left the medical center. It met us there and injured one of my pilots... I didn't get a chance to check on him before we left for Tzymo Labs."

Dismayed, Mand remained silent, afraid to tell Elena that she had left with Horatio and Prophet so willingly. She was surprised Elena hadn't yet asked about seeing Horatio beside her on the platform as she fought Prophet, but she faintly hoped it wouldn't come up. She'd just as soon forget her encounter with him altogether, except for what he had said about her family. Could she believe him, trust him to be telling the truth? Or was he just buying time for himself in the future if she did come across him again? Surely he had just said something, anything, to make her have second thoughts, but how curious could she afford to be? Either way, he was already winning the battle - her thoughts were distracted and conflicted over him.

"Mand?"

Looking back up to her friend, Mand tried to correct her expression, but Elena had already seen it and seemed to think her health was suffering again. Elena worriedly tucked her hand under Mand's head, but Mand quickly waved away her concern. Before she could explain, the shuttle's engines protested with a loud whine, straining as it lowered to a landing platform below. Looking out the viewport, Mand could see the medical center's towers just beside them, and a gentle thud echoed through the cabin as the shuttle set down. Though Elena began to protest, Mand sat up, wincing only slightly as the scratches down her back pulled and refused to stretch with her movement.

"We'll have you looked at when we get inside, okay?"

But Mand shook her head again, standing without Elena's help. "I'm fine. You need to find your pilot."

About to protest once more, Elena glanced to the cockpit where Lithess and Wes were standing from the controls. Though Lithess said nothing, she sighed sadly, seeming to resign reluctantly to Mand's stubbornness. She nodded and wrapped a tight grip around Mand's arm, slowly leading her out of the shuttle with the other two trailing closely behind.

Mand was able to walk comfortably on her leg without even limping, but hoping to put Elena at ease, she didn't turn down her aid. A tense silence hung between them, made more awkward by the Jedi Master and his apprentice following behind them. It only took them a few minutes to get into the med center, and only a few minutes more to make it up to the floor Koril's room was on.

As they approached his door, though, both Mand and Elena looked at each other with alarm after finding no guards posted outside, or anyone else around, for that matter. Fighting a sense of panic, they both rushed inside. Mand heard Elena's belt click as she tugged her lightsaber from it, but they immediately met a dense crowd gathered around Koril's bed. They were all outfitted in fine Royal Navy uniforms, Mand noted, and their faces were solemn as they turned to her and Elena.

Mand's breath froze in her chest as they wordlessly stepped back from Koril's bed; based on their expressions, she expected to see him taking his last breath...but he was propped up in his bed, nearly seated erect and looking better than she had yet seen him. His skin finally had a normal color to it, and his expression was as concerned as theirs, if not more confused. As he looked back toward his pilots, though, they moved further, revealing another younger one seated beside him. Elena's grip dropped from Mand's arm immediately, and she nearly broke into a run to meet him.

"Swip!! You're okay!"

Swip smiled broadly, slowly standing from his seat to face her. "Yes, m'lady," he said brightly, "all thanks to you."

Elena looked him over with relief, returning his smile. "And I owe you thanks, as well." She hugged him gently, but as she pulled back, she raised up on her tiptoes and gave him a happy kiss on his cheek. Swip blushed, glancing nervously at Koril, but it was the other Edgepoints who gave him a hard time for it.

"I gotta start getting hurt in the line of duty more," said an even younger pilot in the middle of the group. Another beside him laughed heartily with the rest.

"You'd only get that kind of action, Emp, if you were the last man standing."

"More than you get on a regular basis, Mal!"

Again the group laughed, and though she didn't know them, Mand had to laugh, too. The tallest of the pilots stepped up behind Swip, looking expectantly at Elena.

"What about me?"

Elena smiled and hugged him, as well. "You, too, Tiny." Uncomfortably tall for her, she had to tug him down by his neck to her level, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

"Get your own Jedi, boys."

Koril even sounded stronger as he brought back all focus to himself. Still grinning, the Edgepoints bowed to him and stepped back, respectfully giving their High Commander and his fiancée their space. Mand hung back, too, watching them interact wistfully.

Elena sat on the edge of the bed, tightly holding Koril's hand as she ran her other hand through his hair and rested it at the base of his neck. They both gazed at each other for a few moments, and Elena finally spoke, albeit softly.

"You look great."

Koril nodded, his voice hardly louder than hers. "I feel good. Master Rylka did a lot for me." His smile broadened as he continued, nearly leaving Elena breathless. "Dr. Onalo said I can go home today."

The look on Elena's face shifted from a warm smile to disbelief, but as Koril held her gaze and nodded, she smiled again and pulled him into a tight hug. He laughed and hugged her back as best he could, and as Elena sat back from him still beaming, one of the Edgepoints with a Commander rank badge on his shoulder stepped forward.

"Swip's good to go, too, m'lady. We were simply waiting for you to return."

Behind the other Edgepoints, a familiar coo from Derek caught Elena's attention, and after giving Koril a quick but earnest kiss, she stood and walked over to the group, parting the crowd to get to his nannies.

Mand smiled as she watched Elena cradling her son, though she immediately thought longingly of her own daughter she hadn't seen for months. She had left Cordira behind on Paneau with caretakers at the Rys'tihn Manor when she, Elena, and Rech left in search of Koril, and that had been more than five months ago. Cordira had turned a year old in that time...but Mand wasn't there to see it. The girl could have taken her first steps, said her first words, but Mand had missed it all. With her thoughts, her smile faded, but as Koril caught her gaze and smiled warmly at her, she cleared her mind and returned the smile, stepping up to his side.

"I'm glad you're okay," he began kindly. "Elena was very worried about you."

Mand shrugged and laughed shortly. "Well, I guess I'm just lucky that she acts more with her heart than with her head. She always comes to my rescue at the perfect time, however dumb it was of her to do it."

He nodded, looking over at her as she conversed with the nannies and rocked Derek in her arms. "Swip was just telling me the same thing." Returning to Mand, though, the smile had faded from his face, replaced by concern she hadn't seen since before his abduction.

"That...thing, that monster... Did...did you...?"

Understanding his question, Mand nodded solemnly. "We won't see it ever again." His shoulders sagged as he released a long breath in relief, glancing once again over at Elena, his son, and his Edgepoints. A quiet moment hung between them, but hoping to keep his mood elevated, Mand moved on. "Ready to get out of here?"

With his gaze still locked on Elena, he nodded, but suddenly his expression set in determination as he looked to Mand and quieted his voice.

"Give me a hand."

Confused, Mand watched him carefully as she extended an open palm to him, which he took immediately. "What for?" But her question was quickly answered as he tugged his bed sheet off his legs and pulled on her hand to sit himself up. Alarmed, Mand gripped his shoulder with her other hand. "Koril! It wasn't a challenge..."

"Shh," he quieted her as he slowly moved his legs over the edge of the bed. "I want to surprise Elena." After glancing back at the group behind him, he finally met Mand's gaze as he situated himself with both of his bare feet hovering just inches over the floor. She still gripped his hand and his shoulder, wary of his sudden movement, but he smiled confidently. "Master Rylka gave me a substantial boost of energy before she left. It should last me a few hours, and I was hoping it would be enough to get me out of here..."

"Koril," Mand continued to warn worriedly, "you shouldn't push yourself. You don't have anything to prove to anyone."

But again he smiled, shifting his hold to her upper arm as he concentrated and made a focused effort to stand. Though she feared the consequences for her involvement in it, she steadied him as best she could, nervously glancing toward Elena on the other side of the room. Despite not having used most of his muscles since being infected by the Huxnel months ago, Koril continued to surprise Mand as he stood. Though she could feel him shaking, he remained steady, even as he slowly turned with her to face Elena...

Keeping an arm wrapped around his back to support him, Mand was saddened to find his once sturdy frame so emaciated and frail. She could feel his weak body under his light shirt and jacket that had at one time fit him well, but engulfed him as he stood. By all accounts, he shouldn't have survived so long under the virus's influence; it was designed to destroy its victims, driving them mad with constant pain, but it seemed the Force had some other fate in store for him. Mand could think of nothing else that could have sustained him and kept him alive just long enough to allow him to recover. He would never be the same, she knew, just as she wouldn't after her own ordeal, but he was already well on his way to mending what was left of his fractured mind. And as Elena turned to see him standing with Mand's aid, Mand's hope in the survival of her friends' relationship was renewed.

At first Elena looked alarmed and almost angry at him for exerting himself so, but as she stepped over to them, leaving Derek with his nannies, her eyes glistened over and several tears fell from them. The Edgepoints approached, too, with brightened expressions, keeping close behind Elena as she wavered with emotion. As Elena stood in front of them, Mand stepped aside slightly, allowing Elena to reach a shaky hand up to his face, her eyes luminous and ecstatic. She stood up on her toes and kissed him sweetly, then looked at him with a serene smile, keeping her voice quiet but intense.

"Let's go home."

Koril smiled and nodded, looking to his Edgepoints with excitement, too. They took over Mand's position beside him, pulling his arms over their shoulders to support him as they turned him back around. Mand stepped over beside Elena, putting a hand on her shoulder as they both watched Koril being helped to his bed. Elena smiled at her, but quickly returned to the Edgepoints, finding her voice.

"Commander Jax," she addressed one of the pilots, demanding his attention, "please ready the _Celestia_ for our departure at once. I want Swip and Leikam on board with us, and the rest of you will escort us back to Paneau."

"Yes, m'lady, High Commander," Jax answered immediately, and though he bowed and left with a pair of his pilots, the rest remained at Koril's side as he sat on his bed, refusing to lay back down as they waited. Beside Mand, Elena smiled and shook her head at him, but as Dr. Onalo returned, entering the room with a few nurses, Elena squeezed Mand's arm and left to talk with the doctor.

* * *

Making sure everyone was situated aboard the _Celestia_, Elena sighed and finally gave the signal for departure to Leikam seated up in the cockpit. She had said goodbye to Master Lithess and his apprentice Wes before loading the ship, thanking them for their help in rescuing Mand. It had been Lithess who had recognized the logo Elena had seen on the shuttle leaving the alley she and the Edgepoints had been attacked in, and without his quick action, Elena might not have made it to Mand in time. Lithess would give a report to the Jedi about what had happened at Tzymo Labs after they left, but he wasn't sure how much he could work in about Mand's phenomenal performance. The stoic Jedi Master seemed to have taken on both Elena and Mand as unofficial apprentices, just as Master Noor had. Elena briefly wondered if Noor had asked it of his long-time friend, but she appreciated it either way. Losing both Tascit and Noor so close together had been hard on all of them, so finding another friend among Jedi Masters helped to ease the strain of their loss.

As the _Celestia_ lifted off from the Coruscant med center, Elena made a few passes about the cabin, checking on its occupants. Mand sat on a bench against the wall cradling Derek, giving his nannies Kollie and Raen a break from their duties. Brent Jax and his daughter Pallas sat beside them, watching and playing with the baby, too, making Elena smile. Veon Banarecc and Swip were casually conversing in the luxury yacht's central dining area; Kaydee stood beside them and offered her input occasionally, more often interrupting the two, but they carried on without worry. And further on into the main hold, Veon's daughter Ri clung to her aunt's purple-paneled astromech Eewon, cheerfully talking to him as she would a good friend, though she understood nothing of what he whistled back. Everyone seemed comfortable and happy, and after one last check of Leikam at the ship's controls and the Edgepoints in escort formation around them as they made the jump to hyperspace, she retired to the main bedroom where Koril had been made comfortable for the long trip.

Paneau's Consul Odovil Neludu had sent with them a pair of nurses, both Paneau natives, to tend to him as they traveled. As Elena entered, they smiled kindly and bowed to her, making a few final adjustments to his IVs and monitors. They bowed again as they left, leaving her to speak with him privately, as she hadn't been able to since his rescue. Glad to finally get the chance to be alone with him, she smiled as she looked on him, finally comfortable in his own bed, albeit a secondary one. He had walked out of the med center with help from his Edgepoints, making it all the way to his ship he had inherited from his family. But concerned with getting everyone on board and making certain they were well prepared to leave, she hadn't seen him since he had been brought in, and she wasn't surprised to find him sleeping.

She smiled as she carefully sat on the bed beside him, not even disturbing him until she lightly caressed his cheek. He slowly roused, looking up at her with tired eyes, but he smiled weakly back at her, sluggishly bringing his hand up to hold hers. After moving so well earlier, his sudden slowness worried her.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked him quietly. His response was delayed, concerning her even more.

"Energy's gone," he was hardly able to whisper, but his small smile hadn't yet faded. Bringing her other hand over, she furrowed her brows as she lightly pressed her fingers to his neck, checking his pulse. The screens beside him were quiet as they monitored his heart rate, but she still wasn't comfortable.

"You did too much today. Your heart's slowed."

Without moving much, he squeezed her hand. "But you always speed it up."

Still with her hand at his neck, she brought it up to the side of his face as she smiled again, glad his fatigue hadn't tainted his mood. The longer she held his gaze, though, the more his expression fell, as though something were bothering him. She ran her hand through his hair, watching his eyes closely as she kept her voice soft. "What is it?"

Again his hand tightened around hers, but he hesitated to answer, remaining silent for several moments.

"Are you still going to marry me?"

A little relieved, she laughed lightly, playing with his hair at his forehead. "What kind of a question is that?"

He didn't even pause. "I don't want you to."

It took Elena a few full seconds for her to register what he had said, and she still didn't believe him. Her hand shook as she felt her own heart slow to almost nothing. "...what?"

His breathing slowed, too, as did his words. "I don't want you to marry me...for what I was...only to resent me later for what I've become."

Breathless in shock, Elena could hardly think. He still wasn't convinced that he was redeemable, and she was running out of arguments to change his mind. How could he believe he was doomed to serious, unavoidable changes in his life? But the more she thought about it, the more she thought of...

"Koril," she began softly, still holding his hand, "I knew Mand years before her kidnapping, and I watched her recover after her rescue. It was never easy for her or for us, and I know she'll be the first to tell you that she sill struggles with the thought that she's changed, but...she _is_ different, just not in the way she thinks she is." She paused, allowing a small smile to form. "She's still undyingly loyal to her friends and her family, and she's still stubborn and impulsive as ever. She may doubt herself more, she may second guess the choices she makes, but where it matters, in her relationships with us and her character we expect from her...she is still the same Mand we knew before."

Though she tried to fight it, her eyes blurred with tears. "I know it'll take time for you to believe me, but I know you're still the same Koril." Her smile broadened, forcing a few tears to fall. "You wouldn't have walked out of that med center today if you weren't." Taking in a shaky breath to calm herself, she clasped Koril's hand with both of hers, looking earnestly into his eyes. "You're going to be okay, Koril, I've no doubt. So to answer your question...yes, I am still going to marry you. I'm not going anywhere."

A small, tired smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes closed slowly in visible relief. She could tell his spirits were lifted, and as he continued, she leaned closer over him, holding his hand against her heart.

"Then I want to be able to stand beside you," he breathed, opening his eyes to meet hers. "But I don't want to make you wait...longer than you already have."

She sighed lightly, tucking her black hair behind her ear with her free hand. "Well, it has been more than five months," she said with a somber voice, but as she kissed him softly, she smiled, pulling back to meet his eyes once more. "I might be able to wait a few more."

Again he smiled, though it didn't last long as his exhaustion once again caught up with him. She watched his slow, rhythmic breathing for a few moments before she turned herself carefully beside him, curling up at his side on their bed. Her own tiredness was beginning to pull her under, too, and after making sure he was comfortable as she lay beside him, she allowed herself to fall asleep, still holding his hand tightly against her.


	15. Epilogue

It had been nearly four hours since Tzymo's cronies had tended to his wounded shoulder, but Horatio could hardly tell the difference. He no longer had a gaping hole in his chest from Prophet's spike, but he could still barely breathe. It continued to ache intensely with every breath, but he had been left alone in the bacta lab and told to await Tzymo's visit. Too tired to pace, he sat on the table he had been treated on, bored but keeping his mind sharp by running through the events of the past day.

He still had a hard time processing Mand's deception and trap she had pulled over him. She had effectively done the same to him that he had first done to her on Agamar, only her plan could possibly result in serious hazards for him at the hands of his employer. How was Tzymo going to punish him for apparently subverting him? Zanti had already exacted physical pain on him, allowing Prophet to injure him with her dangerous tail that became a deadly projectile, and Tzymo had said before that he didn't believe in death as a final sentence...but how could he be sure? Because of Horatio's actions, Tzymo's beloved pet Prophet lay dead out on the skybridges that spanned the Tzymo Labs towers, nearly sliced in half by Elena's lightsaber blade at Mand's control. What kind of revenge would Tzymo take out on him for it?

Interrupting his thoughts, a rough coughing fit gripped him, painfully tearing through his shoulder despite his attempts to subdue it. He still felt a heavy wetness rattling in his upper chest, residual damage that Tzymo's doctors hadn't cleared out for some reason. After coughing into his hand, he wasn't surprised to see specks of blood in his palm, though it frustrated him. Once he was able to suppress further choking reflexes, he swung his legs up onto the table and laid down, rendered lightheaded by the pain and reduced volume of air. He still felt weak, too, having nearly suffocated had it not been for Mand's intervention.

Her help perplexed him. She had sworn to kill him at their next meeting, but she saved his life first? She didn't make sense.

To be fair, neither did he. His motivations were less...obvious, though. He wondered if _he _even knew them at times.

Finally hearing something, one of the doors behind him quietly swept open, and one lone set of footsteps entered the small room. With an effort, he sat up on the table, gripping his shoulder with his good arm. As he turned to look, a placid-faced Tzymo silently stepped up to him, briefly assessing him. Horatio watched him warily, afraid of what the unusual scientist would do.

But when Tzymo did nothing but step back from him, awaiting Horatio's first response, he narrowed his eyes at Tzymo, leveling his frustration at him.

"I think your docs missed a spot," he said with a low voice that was nearly cut off by another choking cough. Undaunted, Tzymo clasped his hands behind his back and spoke calmly.

"On the contrary, Mr. Sheridan. Their partial treatment was entirely intentional. Your body will heal well enough on its own. Perhaps this will serve as a reminder to you for what has happened here today."

Distressed, Horatio swallowed hard, his eyes and his voice still dark. "I didn't help her escape."

Tzymo nodded. "Oh, I believe you. Her performance was most impressive. Clearly, I underestimated her clever resourcefulness, though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, considering her company." He slowly stepped away, looking uninterestedly at a nearby display. "I also believe that you are a man smart enough to not cross me again, especially after warning you of such. I do not blame you for Prophet's death, either. She will be replaced by a superior subspecies of vornskr I've been perfecting; Prophet was a prototype. So don't worry, Mr. Sheridan. I know that you are still so very interested in our agreement that brought you to me in the first place."

Angrier as Tzymo hit a nerve, Horatio raised his voice. "Yeah, I would be, if you actually let me _talk _to her!"

Tzymo crossed his arms as he turned to face Horatio once more. "You think I've withheld my part of the arrangement?"

"Well, I sure as hell didn't sign up just so I could maybe_ see _her from a thousand meters away! You agreed to get me information on her so I could find her, and I did. I don't understand how you can keep me from her and still say we're even!"

Tzymo's expression hardened. "It is out of my hands. Your twin sister has become of particular interest to me as of late, and I do not compromise my assets."

"Interest to you? Why?"

Sighing, Tzymo again turned away. "Not only had she contracted a rare immunosuppressant disease during her brief time in an Ambrian prison, but her desire to keep herself so well-hidden piqued my curiosity. She is evidently avoiding any and all contact with her previous life to evade the scrutiny of the Bounty Hunters Guild, purportedly to keep her one-year-old son Aalon from them, but her efforts have become all the more difficult recently with the onset of her illness."

Stunned, Horatio tried to see through Tzymo's answer, to get to the root of his intentions...

"You're protecting her...so she can be your lab rat?"

Glaring at him ominously, Tzymo said nothing, enraging Horatio further. "She needs help, and you're just going to study her!!"

"She is an important link to the Guild that I have been unable to attain until now. I _am _trying to help her, Mr. Sheridan, but I cannot allow you to interfere with her at the moment. When an opportunity becomes available, you will be notified, but for the time being, you will have to wait."

"Not happening," Horatio bit back. "I've done my work. I'm going to see my sister and my nephew."

Tzymo maintained an intense expression, his arms still crossed over his chest. "Defy my orders, and I withdraw my aid from her completely. The Guild will destroy her within a week, if her illness doesn't claim her first."

Unwilling to counter, Horatio lowered his head dejectedly, struggling to resolve his frustration. Tzymo was going to control everything, including whether Recero lived or died, and Horatio was in no position to change it. He closed his eyes briefly, then looked back up at Tzymo with a resigned expression.

"Her son," he began quietly, "...is he sick, too?"

Tzymo shook his head, his own expression neutralizing. "So far, he seems perfectly healthy, but he is not your concern at this time. You work is far from done, Mr. Sheridan, and you will be returning to Paneau very soon."

Horatio narrowed his eyes again in defiance. "I am _not_ going after Mand again..."

"I don't need you to," Tzymo answered bluntly. "You'll be tracking someone else, someone a bit...younger."

Curious but wary at the same time, Horatio waited for Tzymo to explain more, but instead the cryptic scientist turned and left, speaking calmly along the way.

"Just as before, you will be contacted with more information later. Report to the Malastare outpost and await further orders."

As the door closed behind Tzymo, Horatio stared at it numbly. He had to find a way out of servitude to Tzymo that didn't involve death, either his sister's or his own. The longer he dwelled on it, though, the angrier he became, and the more his chest ached. Tired and anxious to leave Coruscant behind, he grabbed his jacket and made his way down to the hangars, finding a suitable transport to get him to the Outer Rim in one piece.


End file.
